Alone Together
by VeryHungryAuthor
Summary: Keiko left Yusuke, and the heartbroken Detective rescues the woman who turns out to be exactly what he was looking for. Kagome/Yusuke
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or Yu Yu Hakusho

_A/N: Hey, I'm finally back. Jeez, that took forever but life happens and there's really nothing you can do about some things. But, to reiterate, I am PoisonGurl and I used to be SadBrokenWings so all the stories that I'll be posting here will be rewritten versions of my older stories. And then I'll add some new ones. Hope you all enjoy them!_

_Originally this was a one-shot, my very first, now it's been rewritten and expanded into a two-shot._

_**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**_

_Summary: _Keiko left Yusuke, and the heartbroken Detective rescues the woman who turns out to be exactly what he was looking for. Kagome/Yusuke

_**oOo**_

Yusuke had thought he had known pain. But what he was feeling now, after he had seen Keiko for the last time late last night, felt like he was dying inside. Okay, maybe that was a little over-dramatic, it wasn't like Keiko had died last night, all she did was completely shatter his heart. After a particularly gruesome battle that Keiko had somehow gotten mixed up in, she pulled Yusuke aside and ruthlessly tore his heart out.

_"I can't do this anymore Yusuke, what if we had kids? I just can't let them live their lives in danger all the time, we can't do it. I need a normal life, where I can raise my kids without worrying about them being attacked, and you can't give me that. I'm so sorry!"_

That moment played over and over again in Yusuke's mind, the anguished look on Keiko's face just before she ran down the street and back home. He knew that it was true, what she had said, his children would never be safe and he would always be protecting them. But he thought she understood, he would _always _protect them dammit! She had every right to want to leave, it was slightly surprising that she had stuck with him for so long, but he thought that...that she loved him. He loved her, even now, despite her outburst.

And now, walking down a deserted street in the very beginnings of what seemed like a horrible rainstorm, Yusuke cried. He didn't bawl or make any sounds that would lead to the conclusion that he was crying, even if you looked at his face you wouldn't be able to tell because of the rain. All the pent-up emotion was driving him insane and he slammed his fist into the nearest building repeatedly, letting out one choked sob that was filled with anguish. He fell to his knees and bowed his head, tears falling to the sidewalk as thunder sounded from above.

To be rejected by someone he had loved, a friend he had had for so long and a lover he would have made his wife, it hurt. His mother loved him, but she didn't really know the truth, which he couldn't possibly explain to her and now he didn't want to ever risk that. The one person who knew, the one person he loved with all her faults and quirks, the one he had chosen: she hadn't loved him in return. And, with every beat of his heart, he felt the pain that came from being told you weren't good enough and that you weren't meant to have what you so desperately wanted. He wanted a family, he had even thought about what his kids would be like, he had wanted…her.

He didn't know quite how long he stayed like that before he heard a chilling scream that sent shivers up and down his spine. It was close, only a block or two away if he judged it correctly. Glad to have something that distracted him from his emotional torment, Yusuke sprung up and ran in the direction that he had heard the scream.

_**oOo**_

Kagome ran, pushing her body to its limits, slipping and sliding in the rain as she tried to escape the rather large demon that was chasing her. It had been this way ever since she came home from the Feudal Era, she was constantly being hounded by demons that were after the Shikon no Tama. It was so much pressure to defend herself and her family that Kagome had moved out of the shrine and into a small, shabby apartment downtown. She called her family often to make sure that everyone was okay, being constantly reminded that they missed her. Of course she missed them too but she just couldn't go back and endanger their lives, she had already ruined the lives of her friends in the Feudal Era, she didn't want to do the same to everyone else. She thought almost daily about the loss of her friends and the choice InuYasha made that had broken her heart.

Had she not suffered the trials of fixing the Shikon and fighting Naraku, Kagome would have never met her friends or fallen in love for the first time. And she wouldn't have traded that experience for the world. Of course, because she now carried the Shikon within herself, she would never truly be free of her ongoing battle for balance. That posed a problem and now Kagome did not get close to just anyone, leaving all her old friends in the dust as she lived for fighting and not much more.

She found it took a lot of effort to avoid people, her soul thrived on the interaction with others, but she was dangerous to be around. She knew it. So she found herself adopting traits from InuYasha and even Sesshomaru, keeping her outward personality off-putting was so hard but worth it when she reminded herself how many lives she had saved just by being alone. It didn't change who she was on the inside though; she was still the soft, sweet, and caring person she had always been.

She had considered leaving the world of the living and found herself held back by the Shikon's reluctance to give her up. She had been so destroyed by the loss of her friends, especially little Shippo, that all she had wanted to do was join them. But her few attempts proved fruitless, all they left her was scarred. So nothing was left except to defeat all the demons that came after her and to hone her skills as the Guardian of the Shikon no Tama. Which is where she was now.

Because she had gotten caught up in her thoughts, Kagome did not see where she was going until it was too late and she found herself cornered in a rather rank-smelling alley. The rain didn't help much with the smell…can you say "Eww!" Of all the times to forget her weapons Kagome found this to be the worst time and she had to work with what she had around her. There was a dumpster _(not useful),_ a couple garbage bags _(also not useful) _and a small pipe connected to a building used for Gods only know what.

Deciding that she would rather use the pipe than take her chances with the demon weaponless, Kagome used all the strength she could muster and let out a scream as she yanked it away from the wall and rammed it into the demon's stomach. She tried to pull it back out but found it stuck and was, once again, left defenseless. Before she could process a new plan she was snatched up by the huge demon and she felt its long claws digging painfully into her side.

She watched, in some sort of trance-like fascination, as her blood ran down the knuckles of the demon and dripped to the ground below. Strange, there seemed to be more of it than she thought her small body could hold. While her mind went numb she was still slightly aware of what happened around her, especially when a bright light came flying toward her out of nowhere.

It went past her and straight into the chest of the demon, sending her flying back to the ground to land right smack on her back. She sat up, wincing at the pain that radiated throughout her body and glared in the direction that the ball of light had come from. There, in the mouth of the alley, stood a silhouette of a guy looking completely laid-back. She couldn't tell his age just by looking at him, but he was built quite nicely and had an air of a punkish attitude the radiated off of him. Kagome also caught something else; demon blood flowed through his veins, though he seemed to be entirely human.

She stood up and strode over to the demon that attacked her, completely forgetting her injuries for the moment, and put her hand to its twitching body and purified it into ash. As she did so, Kagome said a small prayer for his soul before turning around and storming toward the young man that had helped her out. If you call nearly killing her "helping her out." Well, not that she could die, but that was beside the point.

"What the Hell did you think you were doing, I could have handled that on my own!" Kagome shouted, knowing that it was a lie but still upset. Partially because she had been in such a vulnerable position, but also because she had appearances to keep up and didn't want him to make this a habit of his.

"Holy shit, chick! I just saved your life!" Yusuke shouted back, confused and angry at the same time. He was not expecting that kind of reaction from her, that's for sure.

Kagome took a step toward him and, in an almost growling tone, stated, "I didn't need your help; I could have easily taken care of it!"

"Then why did I hear you scream from two blocks away? And what the Hell did you do to that demon?" Yusuke demanded, now getting up in her face.

Kagome hesitated a bit, "Nothing that you need to concern yourself with. Now leave me alone before I do the same to you!" She shouted before giving him a rather rough shove on the shoulder and storming past him.

Yusuke watched her leave from his position against the alley wall, a little shocked that the girl he had just saved had yelled at him for it. She was definitely something different, but what did that matter, he was probably never going to see her again. In some ways she reminded him of Keiko, her "constant PMS" attitude with him whenever he would fight. But this girl was angry that he had jumped in on _her_ fight, whereas Keiko would have been angry because he could have gotten hurt.

He shook his head and left the alley, taking his mind off of Keiko with thoughts of the strange girl he had just encountered. She obviously knew about demons, she had done something to the demon earlier, leaving no trace of it. Yusuke wondered if he should inform Koenma of the weird girl with the even weirder powers. She didn't look to be a demon, but Hell if he knew; he couldn't sense the difference between a demon and a regular human that was Kuwabara's and Hiei's job. Yusuke dragged a hand through his hair in frustration and pushed himself away from the building he had been leaning on, intent on following the girl and questioning her some more.

It didn't take him long to find her, her injuries were terrible and she had lost a lot of blood. She was lying, barely conscious, in the middle of the deserted street not 10 yards from the alley. Yusuke cursed and jogged over to her, not at all happy about the way his night was turning out.

"Damn girl, if I wasn't such a nice guy I would leave you here on your own. You're more trouble than Koenma's worth, though that's not sayin' much." Yusuke muttered as he easily picked Kagome's bleeding form up and carried her back to his apartment, no longer thinking about Keiko.

_**oOo**_

When Kagome woke up she found herself in a very comfortable bed that smelled quite nice. She snuggled her face into the pillow and breathed deep, taking in the musky scent that seemed vaguely familiar. At first she was content but then realized that she didn't remember her bedroom smelling quite like this and she also didn't remember ever getting home. She sat up quickly, causing herself to get a major head rush and she fell back down on the bed.

Muttering curses, Kagome slowly forced herself up, ignoring the pain that seemed to be everywhere in her body. The room was dark and she looked around for something she would find familiar but was disappointed by her lack of results. Before she started panicking, Kagome took a few deep breaths, noting the rain that she heard hitting the window off to her left and the voices she heard, presumably from the next room. Silently she crept from the bed and toward the direction the voices came from, and gently turned the knob on the door.

She eased it open just a crack and listened in to what the voices were talking about, keeping her aura and scent masked just in case.

"Damn, I already told the toddler, I don't know what the hell she did. One minute the demon was layin' there and the next minute he was dust." Yusuke all but shouted at his teammates, getting frustrated with their persistence that he repeat the story.

Kurama flipped a bit of his red hair behind his shoulder as he readjusted his position in a rather uncomfortable chair before speaking, "Is it possible that the girl you are talking about is a priestess?"

Yusuke sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "Huh? Well, she might be but I thought they were all basically powerless now. Besides, wouldn't the toddler have already had us after her if she had a lot of power?"

Kuwabara took that moment to add his two-cents into the conversation, "I can't believe you let a girl get hurt, Urameshi! You are supposed to protect girls, they need defending!"

Kagome, tired of listening to this inane conversation, took the opportunity to make her presence known, "I know plenty of boys who needed to be protected more than I ever have so excuse me if I take offense to your statement. Chauvinist pig."

A full minute passed, the guys were all staring at her in silence as she was staring at them. Eventually the stress of getting up so soon after being injured got to Kagome and she started to sink to the ground. Kurama, being the swift demon that he is, caught her before she hit the floor and carried her to the couch. She was still conscious but her body was exhausted.

"Now, what is going on and who are all of you? Wait a second," Kagome said before anyone could respond, "I recognize you." She was staring at Yusuke.

"Keh, so what?" Yusuke oh-so-smartly replied.

"You nearly killed me when you barged in on my fight!" She exclaimed angrily, almost lunging at him, but Kurama had a steady arm around her shoulders to prevent her from doing so.

Yusuke got angry, "I heard you scream and came to help, Gods, I should have let you die!"

Kuwabara was appalled, "Urameshi, but she's a girl!" No one seemed to pay attention to the hybrid who sat on the windowsill, eyes dancing with amusement.

Kagome turned her anger toward the unattractive guy with a glare that caused him to faint on the spot. Satisfied with the effect she had on the guy, Kagome turned her glare back toward Yusuke, and the two had a staring contest of sorts. Kurama, feeling rather dissatisfied with the current situation, cleared his throat loudly, catching the attention of Kagome and Yusuke. The attention he received, however, wasn't exactly what he had been expecting. Now the temperamental duo was glaring at _him_!

He sighed and spoke, "If you two are finished with your childish games I believe we should continue our earlier conversation. Is that alright with you Miss…"

"Cinammon, that's my name!" Kuwabara said in a high-pitched voice while he was still unconscious.

They all stared at him, dazed by the outburst, but Kagome shook it off quickly and gave Kurama her name, "Kagome Higurashi."

"Ah, Miss Higurashi, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. If you would so kindly inform us as to what happened with the demon you and our friend Yusuke encountered we would be most grateful." Kurama said, laying on some of his charm.

Kagome quickly pushed herself out of Kurama's arms and sat on the opposite end of the couch, making sure that he wasn't touching her anymore. Kurama and Yusuke thought she was insane while Hiei thought it was amusing that she ran from the fox's appeal.

"Oh no, don't you try that with me!" Kagome said in an accusing tone to Kurama before her features became more angry and less paranoid as she spoke again, "I'll tell you what happened, that dumbass over there tried to barge in on my fight!"

"I saved your life, what the hell is wrong with that?" Yusuke fired back, "If I hadn't come when you screamed you would be dead right now!"

"I could have handled it!" Kagome seethed, angry that he was more or less right.

"As if! You were bleeding all over the place!" Yusuke's statement caused Kagome to pause for a second. She had been bleeding, but why wasn't she now? That was when she noticed the tight feel of bandages wrapped around her torso and the pull of what she supposed were stitches, every time she moved.

"Who fixed me up?" Kagome asked, slipping easily from her dramatic anger into a rather neutral emotive state.

"I did." Kurama answered.

Kagome nodded in his direction, "I appreciate it."

"You thank him for bandaging you up but do I get a thank you for saving your life or bringing you here so Kurama could fix you up in the first place? Nooooooo…" He was on his feet now, obviously upset. He was letting his feelings about Keiko mix with the current situation.

Kagome could tell that something was up and reined in her temper, "Okay okay, I'm sorry. Thanks for the help, I was just being a little difficult with you, but I'm really grateful."

Yusuke calmed down a bit, a little ashamed that he had let himself get so worked up. He sat back down in his chair and cast a sorrowful look her way before staring into nothingness, leaving a strange silence in the room.

"What's the matter Yusuke, did something else happen that you want to talk about?" Kurama questioned. He was looking to Hiei, hinting at him to take a peek in the Toushin's mind.

Hiei "hn"ed and complied, easily coming across a flicker of what seemed to be bothering the detective, but there was suddenly a mental barrier in his way. Outwardly he growled, puzzled by the barrier that he had encountered, noticing it wasn't the same type of energy that Yusuke gave off. The energy felt like…

"Woman, what do you think you are doing?" Hiei growled at Kagome, watching her blink all too innocently.

"Whatever are you talking about?" Kagome asked, letting a false mask of confusion fall over her face as she tilted her head to the side.

"You know what it is I speak of, give me an answer before I dig it out of you with my sword!" Hiei demanded coldly, glaring at her.

Kagome, after figuring out that Hiei was not one to be taken lightly and was also not stupid, dropped the façade and looked him straight in the eye with a look that could kill.

"I believe that he should be able to tell you what he wants you to know and not have you pry through his mind for any answer you wanted. You should wait until he's ready to talk about it and not invade his privacy like that!" Kagome responded, getting defensive even though she had no ties to the young man before her.

"Hn." Hiei gave her another cold glare before turning away and glaring out the window. Kagome gave a huff at his attitude and turned her head away, until she heard the chuckle of the fox next to her.

"And don't you start laughing; I know you were in on that." Kagome said in a motherly tone, very nearly wagging her finger at him. "Firecracker over there doesn't seem like the type to care so you must have persuaded him somehow." Hiei growled at the nickname.

Kurama was abashed that she had caught on and was modest enough to let a light blush stain his cheeks as he looked away. He had only been worried about his friend but Kagome was right, he should have waited until Yusuke was ready to talk about it.

"Hey!" Yusuke yelled, finally fed up with trying to catch their attention a nicer way, "What the Hell are you all talking about?"

Kagome snorted and answered, much like a tattling sister would, "That short fella over there decided that he was going to try and peek at your mind, but only after the fox talked him into it."

He went a little ashy but caught her phrasing and asked, "What do you mean by _'try and peek?'_"

"I mean," Kagome said in an aggravated tone, "I blocked him from your mind. He had no right to see what you didn't want to share."

"So, does that mean you took a look?" Yusuke asked accusingly.

"Hell no, I don't care about your problems. I just don't like it when someone gets messed with without their consent, is all."

Yusuke wasn't sure if he could trust her but decided to give her a shot and grunted a thanks. Kurama, seeing that all the death glares and hatred toward one another had died, decided that now was as good as any time to discuss the demon.

Sadly, Botan took that time to pop in and shock them all of them out of their pants with her appearance. Kagome stared at her and Botan stared back, her mouth hanging slightly open as she rapidly blinked, believing that she was hallucinating. Once she realized that she wasn't seeing things, Botan snapped her jaw shut and bowed deeply to Kagome.

"Lady Kagome, I had no idea you were the girl Yusuke had summoned me about."

"Please don't call me Lady, I don't deserve it. Would you mind explaining who you are and what is going on?" Kagome eyes were hard and something behind them seemed to be cracking.

"Oh, forgive my rudeness M'Lady!" Botan chirped before introducing herself, "I am Botan, one of the deities of Death. The boys summoned me to bring them and a girl to Koenma's office. Am I right in assuming that you are the girl Yusuke saved?"

"Yes, though I hate to admit it. I should have paid more attention to the fight." She grudgingly acknowledged, wanting nothing more than to get away and disappear from the situation.

Botan nodded, understanding that she didn't want to talk about it and instead said, "Well, come on! Lord Koenma wants to talk to you guys. And I think he'd like to have a word with you as well, Lady."

Before Kagome could respond, Yusuke loudly demanded, "What the Hell are you calling this chick Lady for?"

Appalled by the way Yusuke was acting in the presence of such a well-known and respected individual, Botan smacked him over the head with her oar and shoved him through the portal. The guys followed, Kurama dragging Kuwabara as Hiei sped into the portal, leaving Botan looking at Kagome with such an expectant and innocent look that Kagome knew she would be going through that portal. Sighing and glancing down at her bloody and torn clothes, Kagome gave a snort, wondering why she would be concerned about how she looked just because she was going to see a _Lord._ As she stepped through the portal she felt the world spin and turn upside down and, before she got to the other side, she got her bearings and that allowed her to enter Koenma's office rather gracefully. That is, until she tripped over Kuwabara's still unconscious body.

_WHAM! _She landed right on her face to the amusement of her new 'friends' and found herself amused when the ferrygirl Botan smacked the fox and the detective upside their heads and glared at them. After she stood back up Kagome took in her surroundings and her eyes almost automatically landed on the toddler sitting at the desk. At first she thought it was cute but something told her she shouldn't approach it.

Once it started talking, however, she was torn between laughter and plain exhaustion from the absurdity of her situation this evening. She couldn't hold back her small burst of laughter in the end.

Koenma was glaring down at the girl that had dared to laugh at him and gestured for Botan to come closer so he could demand to know just who that girl was.

"That is the girl Yusuke saved, the one he called us about? She also just happens to be Lady Kagome, Lord Koenma sir. You know, the Guardian, Kagome Higurashi?" Botan answered perkily, happy to help any way she could.

Koenma gaped at Botan and then at Kagome, his pacifier dropping out of his mouth and landing on his desk with a small thud. He nearly wet himself. _The_ Kagome Higurashi, The Guardian, was in his office.

"Hey, why are you staring at me like that?" Kagome demanded. It was unsettling, the way he was practically worshipping her with his eyes.

Koenma regained his composure and snatched up his pacifier before speaking, ignoring the Spirit Detectives in place of Kagome.

"Lady Kagome, forgive me for being so rude, I would personally like to welcome you to the Spirit World. I truly can't believe that you're here, if there is anything you desire I know my father would not hesitate to give it to you." Koenma said, still in awe of her presence.

"Oi! Toddler, can we get this stuff over with?" Yusuke said, frustrated at being ignored by the baby ruler.

"Huh?" Koenma looked up from Kagome and realization dawned on him, he **had** needed to speak to the detective group and get all the details from the incident this evening, "That's right, I need to get all the details from tonight from you, Yusuke. And whatever else the rest of you might have to add."

Botan, realizing that they were about to get down to business, turned toward Kagome, "M'Lady, would you mind coming with me down to the healers and I can answer any questions you might have."

Kagome fought the urge to return the girl's friendly smile and simply nodded. It would do good to get some information about this other world, and she had some questions about the demon population as well. She had been home for about a year now and was still a little baffled about the demons she sensed every now and again, they would disappear before she could get a lock on them. Botan was very forth-coming, explaining the barriers and the three worlds and what Yusuke and the others did as Spirit Detectives. Kagome found it very difficult to remain detached and unaffected by Botan's easy-going personality, she didn't want to let the girl get too close and potentially end up hurt. She was just so damn friendly.

What she didn't know was that, while she and Botan were talking, Koenma had finished getting his information and was sharing some with the Detectives. Including the legend surrounding Kagome and the Shikon no Tama, leaving them a little speechless as they tried to take it all in.

By the time they had made their way back to the office, the boys looked more than ready to leave, all of them were leaning or sitting in the silent place.

"You may open the portal home for them, Botan." Koenma stated and then turned to Kagome, "Lady Kagome? If you would be so kind as to come forward, I have a small matter to discuss with you and something to give you. It will be only a moment and then you can follow them out."

With a sigh, she stepped forward while the guys marched dutifully through the portal after Botan, "What it is?"

"First, I am truly sorry for your loss. Your friends were true heroes to be remembered for all time." He saw the steel in her eyes and cleared his throat, "Anyway, now that we have finally met I would like to be able to contact you easier, and make it easier for you to get in touch with us as well. So I want you to have this communication device." He held it out and watched as she took it with a little hesitance.

"Why have you given me this? Why would you need to contact me?"

Koenma looked her in the eyes, "Demons tend to break through the barriers and into the Human World from the Demon World, and I would be lying if I said that Yusuke and his team covered all of our issues. I was hoping that you would be willing to help keep the peace in the Human World, you would work on your own and you would be helping to save many innocent lives." He hoped his sincerity would be enough to get her to agree.

Lucky for him, it was. Kagome wasn't known for letting innocents go unprotected when she was in the position to do something about it. So he had earned himself another protector for the barrier. And then she was gone without so much as a goodbye.

_**oOo**_

Yusuke had been making idle chat with Botan, but she was just too damn perky and he was too damn heartbroken to be anything but irritated by her smile. Sure, he hadn't been with Keiko long, but he had been attached to her for a very long time. He had thought that she was all he had ever wanted, so pretty and she had just always been there in his life…and now she wasn't. By her own choice, she was gone and he was more than a little lost.

"Lady Kagome!" Botan exclaimed, drawing Yusuke out of his reverie and his attention instantly went to the beat up priestess standing outside of the portal in his living room.

She looked so small now that he had a moment to just look at her, he couldn't believe that this little woman was the stuff of legends. She was short, but not in a ridiculous fashion, at the very least her legs were long enough that it didn't matter. And, where so many women had little body shape, Kagome's was well-defined and appeared to be all muscle. She had an hourglass figure that was visible underneath her torn up sweatshirt and all the bandages. Her hair was quite long as well, quite the opposite of most women and the trends of today…a trend that Keiko had followed.

He shook his head a bit, trying to remove the thoughts, _'Why did everything lead back to her?'_

Botan looked his way and shot him a huge smile before announcing, "Well, I'm off! It was nice to finally meet you Lady Kagome."

As Kagome opened her mouth to correct her about calling her Lady, the portal popped shut and she just kind of trailed off quietly, "…don't call me that?"

Yusuke watched her, she looked so damn uncomfortable in his place and just around people in generally, and almost sad standing there by herself. It gave him a strange comfort to know he wasn't the only one with problems.

"Uh, hey."

She had taken a few steps closer to him; he saw how stiffly walked and assumed it was from the injuries. He cursed himself a bit for not getting there sooner and preventing it altogether, and then wondered at himself. She was stronger than she appeared, and tougher, if Koenma's story was anything to go by…so why did he feel bad that she was hurt?

Kagome fidgeted a bit, "Yeah, so listen: I'm sorry," she mumbled, "I shouldn't have been so angry at you for helping me. I'm not used to having someone else fight my battles for me anymore."

He could tell she was trying to make amends, and she absolutely owed him that apology from earlier, but he felt like it was awkward for her. He wasn't going to make it all that much easier on her, either. Maybe he was lashing out because of his feelings, but right now he didn't care and wasn't looking to make friends.

"Whatever," he replied and shrugged.

Did she look…relieved? He had all but blown off her apology, so what was she doing relaxing now that he more or less made it known that he wasn't looking for friends? She was one strange lady.

"Well, I guess…I'll be going now." She took the longest way around him to the door, not even wanting to get close to him, and she was walking awkwardly. She was trying to hide the pain but it was impossible.

Yusuke cursed under his breath before saying, "You can crash here, I know you are hurt and I won't make you walk home tonight. Besides that, it's raining."

She didn't even glance back at him, just opened the door and said, "No thank you, I'm leaving."

And then she was gone.

_**oOo**_

Kagome was walking around the downtown area; she didn't have anything to do at the moment and was almost wishing Koenma would call her up with a demon to fight. It had been about three months since she had met the demi-god for the first time, and he had only summoned her twice to assist in a barrier breech. Once was a solo mission and the second was as support for Yusuke's team. She was in and out before any of them got in so much as a "Hey." But both times Koenma had seemed hesitant to call her in and she didn't like that at all, he acted like he wasn't the authority figure and she was. Somehow, she was going to have to fix that.

"Hey, Kagome! What are you doing out here?"

She tensed, she knew that voice. One of the few she recognized from back home, one of the people she had thought she left behind. But, no, the Gods had some kind of sick sense of humor because there was Hojo. And he had spotted her, if the waving and name-shouting was anything to go by. In an attempt to escape before he got too close, she tried to cut through a thick crowd of people and once she was safely on the other side, didn't even get a chance to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Didn't you hear me calling your name?" Hojo was now right next to her, looking down at her with his big innocent eyes.

Her heart thudded, her stomach clenched, this is what she thought she was avoiding by leaving without telling any of her friends. This confrontation, the one where she had to push away these innocent people because they cared about her too much, it made her sick to think about it. She wasn't ready for this. He was always sweet to her, always had a smile for her, always cared about her health and she…didn't want to hurt him. But she had to.

"Uhm…Kagome? Are you feeling alright?" There was that look, that concerned look she remembered so well.

Taking a deep breath, she readied herself and unleashed a cold stare to rival Sesshomaru, "I'm fine." She then attempted to push past him, but he stopped her by grabbing her hand. And she was stunned, no one had made such intimate contact with her in over a year.

He pulled her around, "Is something the matter? Did I do something to offend you? I have been waiting for you to come back home so I could talk to you, but you've been gone so long and I couldn't get a straight answer from your family. But, Kagome, now that I have you here I want to tell you how I feel."

Here it was, the moment she had dreaded, "What feelings? The ones that had you pining after me, following me around like a lost puppy?" She gave a cruel laugh, "I knew, I always knew, it was pathetic to see you day after day looking at me the way you did. And, did you honestly believe I was sick all those times my mom turned you away so politely? No, I just didn't want to be around **you**." She gave him a disgusted up and down look.

Hojo was shocked and hurt, his mouth was hanging open and his eyes were shining with unshed tears. She felt sick as she watched him release her hand and turn away from her. There were tears in her own eyes as well, she felt them but refused to let them fall. She knew it had to be done.

"Damn, the first time I see you since we met and you've come across as an even bigger bitch than I remember." Yusuke said as he stepped forward from the crowd.

'_Great, just what I needed! How could my day get any worse?'_ Kagome thought as she moved to wipe at her eyes.

"Like I care what you think of me," she said, nearly cringing at the watery sound of her voice.

Yusuke shrugged but noted how close she was to crying himself, strange considering she was the one who dealt out all the damage, "Did you have to tear into him like that? What did he do to deserve it?"

Kagome sat down on the nearby bench and just put her head in her hands, "He was my friend."

"And that's how you treat your friends?" Yusuke asked with a hint of irritation in his voice, he sat beside her on the bench.

"I don't expect you to understand and I don't care how you judge me, but it was the best thing I could do for him. He will never get why I did it, and he will probably hate me for a long time, but I had to do it." She didn't know why she was telling him this, perhaps part of her _wanted_ him to understand.

Leaning back into a more comfortable position, Yusuke looked over at Kagome in a curious fashion, "How was ripping his heart out and laughing at him what was best for him? How you could have any friends at all with the attitude you have is beyond me."

She looked over at him and said simply, "I don't. Not anymore."

And Yusuke didn't really have anything to say after that, he really wasn't expecting her to say something like that and he was certain there was more heartbreak in those few words than what that fella was feeling right now.

"I am a danger to everyone. I don't visit my family, I don't have friends, and it's for the best. They could die." She shrugged like it was no big deal, but he could tell it was.

Looking at the small woman next to him as she stared into the crowded streets, he felt pain. What he had felt when Keiko had left him was painful, but he still had his friends and he could find another girlfriend if he was ready for that step…but to have no one?

He sighed and leaned forward to look at her, "Now should I have hurt feelings too? Because I thought we were friends." The look she gave him was hysterical, "What? You didn't know that I considered you a friend?"

"So, do you call all your friends bitches and grill them about their life choices? Or am I just special?" She still looked shocked.

"Well, you are certainly special considering we've only ever argued and never hang out and never have conversations…except for now I suppose. And I do believe you called me a bastard first."

Kagome let out a surprised laugh before she could stop herself, and he smiled a little in return. She covered her mouth and looked away, this wasn't supposed to happen and especially not with this guy that she was certain didn't like her.

"And who said I wanted a friend anyway?" She said quietly, not once looking back at him.

He reached out and gave a lock of her hair a small yank, "I never said it was a choice. Now, I'm supposed to be meeting with the guys for lunch and you are coming with us. This is also not a choice and it's very clear that you aren't meeting with any of your _other_ friends so you aren't busy."

Before she could really respond, he grabbed her by the back of her large sweater and hefted her to her feet. When she didn't start walking on her own, he dragged her by her sweater to the burger joint and pushed her into one of the large booths. Where he made sure she sat and ate and forced her to participate in the conversation, though she only spoke the bare minimum.

And Yusuke was surprised at just how much better he felt now that he had made friends with her.

_**oOo**_

"Kurama! What should we do here?" Yusuke asked a bit too loudly.

Wincing, Kurama evaluated the situation: they were in the middle of the Demon World at the moment, having followed a band of demons that took off with a group of kids from a park. One kid had much too big a mouth and was yelling at the demons and had gotten himself smacked around more than once. All of the kids were a little beaten up, there were bruises and small cuts all over them and one of the little girls was crying. Kurama counted four kids, two boys and two girls and a pair of them looked like siblings, and there were seven demons.

What he couldn't figure out was why they had taken the kids, were they planning on making a meal of them? He wasn't sure, but he **was** sure that those kids were in danger and there were too many demons to deal with without risking further injury to the children. How to proceed?

Suddenly, there was a 'pop' and Kagome walked through the portal that had appeared. There was a fierceness and determination in her eyes that they had no idea her soul held, and she walked with purpose.

"Hey Kagome. What are you doing here?" Kuwabara asked, voicing the question they all wanted the answer to, "Why would Koenma send you too?"

She didn't even bother looking at him, she kept her eyes on the situation ahead of them, "He didn't, I invited myself along."

"Admit it, you just wanted to hang out with us." Yusuke taunted, smiling at her with his cocky grin and a little shine in his eyes.

"As if, Urameshi," she threw back, her lips tilting in a small smile, "I'm not all that attached to you guys, I just like a good fight."

But something told them there was more to it than fighting, that look in her eyes and the power in her stance said that something was personal, "So, how long did you idiots plan on standing here doing nothing? Trying to make a plan will just waste time because there is no way to plan for this situation. There are four innocent kids down there that need help, there are seven monsters that need putting down, those are the facts. That's all we need, that's all I need, to know."

And, before anybody could stop her, she was taking off down the hill in the direction of the danger with a charge in the air around her. They stood, stunned for a moment, before Yusuke led them in pursuit. He just couldn't believe what she was doing! That small girl was charging towards demons that towered over her, showing no fear and only determination. There was a spark in her that he hadn't seen in the 6 months of knowing her, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. But now wasn't the time for feelings, now was the time for kicking some demon ass.

In they charged, following Kagome into battle, all doing what they could to incapacitate the demons and lead them away from the kids. However, Kagome's goal was to get herself closer to the kids and keep them safe. With her purifying touches, she burned her way through the group, not lingering long enough to do killing damage but she did weaken the ones she touched. And then she was there with the kids and then they were her focus. Kneeling down in front of them, she gave them a smile in hopes of comforting them.

"It's okay guys, we're going to get you out of here. You all are so brave, now I want you to get real close to me so I can protect you, okay?" Her voice was gentle but loud enough to be heard over the fighting.

Yusuke glanced over and he almost tripped over his own feet, he had never seen her smile like that before. And the way she spoke to those kids, he had never heard her speak like that. He could have sworn his heart just skipped a beat as he looked her over, this was a new side of her and it was one he liked. But, as he was busy looking her over, he got caught off-guard by one of the demon and found himself tossed into a tree a distance away. He cursed and pushed himself up before charging back in, how could he let himself get distracted like that? As he got closer, he saw her hug the four kids in a tight group and watched the barrier appear around them just as she got ripped away by a demon. She burned it and landed on her feet before he could get close enough to help, not that she would have let him do anything.

As he got up next to her he said, "Well, you are just full of surprises."

"You think this is a good time to have this conversation?" She snapped, not even throwing him a look before lobbing herself at the demon.

She grabbed hold with both hands and filled the demon with her energy, turning him into ash, while Yusuke used his Spirit Gun on another which left only one still standing. Kagome decided that the others could handle that one on their own so she made her way back to the kids, followed by Yusuke who wasn't done hassling her about her friendly side. Six months they had known each other and she had never hinted that this soft and sweet side of her existed…he was pissed and he wasn't sure why.

"Hey! Excuse me, sweetheart, but you can't just ignore me. I believe we had started a conversation over there-hey!"

Kagome glared at him before touching the barrier and dropping it, she was on her knees in an instant and all four kids were in her arms or at least trying to be. One was on her back, two were clinging to her sides and the fourth was in her lap snuggling into her chest. She was talking softly to them, telling them that they were going to be okay now and that they were safe and Yusuke watched as a pink glow emanated from her and embraced the kids. And then his jaw dropped a bit as all their bruises faded and their cuts disappeared, since when could she do that?

He huffed, "Damn it woman, would you just talk to me?"

"Watch your language around the kids!" She said in a scolding tone, giving him a look that could kill.

One of the kids giggled before climbing off of Kagome's back and stepping toward Yusuke, "Thanks for saving us," he said before hugging his leg. The other kids follow suit, save the one in Kagome's lap that had passed out.

Yusuke looked down and his stomach clenched, those little faces looking up at him with adoration in their eyes only reminded him of the kids he would never have and what Keiko had said before she left him. Kagome noticed that sad look and called the kids back over,

"So who wants to ride on my back on the way home?"

All the kids ran back over and attempted to climb onto her together, and she somehow managed to stand up with 3 kids clinging to her and one in her arms. And then she started walking back toward the portal where Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara were waiting with Botan. Yusuke shook off his memories and caught up with Kagome to snatch two kids off of her and carry them himself. They laughed and one climbed onto his shoulders and smiled down at him. And, surprising Kagome, he smiled back. She looked at him and realized that, here in this moment, he looked exactly like everything she was never allowed to have. This smiling guy, with a kid on his shoulders and one in his arms, this was something she would never allow herself to want because she couldn't have it. Not without putting their lives at risk every day.

She felt the little girl in her arms shift and adjusted her hold with a soft, sad smile. Such a sweet face, it made her heart ache.

When they made it through the portal and back into the park, Kagome gave the little girl a jostle to wake her up, "Come on, pretty little girl. It's time to get up and go play with your friends."

Heavy green eyes opened and the cutest smile spread across her face as Kagome put her on her feet, "Are you going to play with us too?"

They guys were looking at her like she had grown a second head, this was not the Kagome they had become acquainted with. This person that carried kids and smiled with ease and was gentle and soft, this was a new person. And this person bent over and softly told them that she would play with them later, but first she wanted them to come over one at a time so she could tell them a special secret. And, one-by-one, the kids stepped forward and she brought them into a hug, whispered in their ear and kissed their foreheads. And, as they stepped back from her, they began to look confused and ran back to the play area of the park.

She then stood, gave a quiet sniffle, and turned toward the guys, "They won't remember any of this now, and if they do it will just be a vague idea more like a dream. Now, if you will follow me, I'll get you all patched up back at my place."

Tired as she was, and bloody as she may have been, she was true to her word and patched each of them up. Regardless of how they may have objected and protested, she got it done and then kicked them out. And none of them had wanted to ask her any more questions, even Yusuke was quiet. Because she had tears in her eyes the entire time.

_**oOo**_

Yusuke made a habit of coming over every day and knocking on Kagome's door until she let him in. For two straight weeks he came and tried to start conversations that she would deflect with idle chat and answers that weren't really answers. He would sit on her couch for an hour or so, and he knew he was irritating her, but he also knew that they had something in common. The pain of loss and knowledge that you are a danger to those around you, it was something they shared. So every day, for two weeks, he had showed up. And every day he was sure she was answering the door a little faster, like she had been looking forward to seeing him.

And today, after two weeks, he decided he was going to push it further and try to get answers. He was curious about her and something made him want to share things with her, so he had every intention of getting her to talk more. He wasn't sure how, but he would do it.

So he knocked on her door, and she didn't answer. He knocked again, surprised that she hadn't answered or shouted at him, and got no response again. So he waited a minute and decided to try the knob and found out that the door was unlocked, so he went in. Kagome might hit him for it, but she has always been home when he came over and he was a little curious and maybe…worried?

"_I know, I really miss you too…I'm sorry I can't be there…"_

He followed her voice through the tiny apartment and saw her standing out on her open patio, leaning on the balcony with her phone to her ear. He stood on the other side of the glass, watching her and curious about who she was talking to on the phone.

She sighed, "Souta, you know that you mean to world to me and I love you, that's why I left." She listened as he begged her to come home, her heart hurting as she heard the tears in his voice, "I've gotta go, please don't cry anymore, I'll call you again another time."

Yusuke was confused, who was she on the phone with? Her boyfriend? Why did that thought make his stomach hurt? He thought that she had been just like him, as alone as he was, but here she was making calls to some guy that she knew well enough to say 'I love you' to. He was mad at first, but then he heard her try to choke back a sob and saw her shoulders shaking and he had to do something.

Stepping up next to her on the balcony, he leaned back on the railing and said, "The night I met you for the first time, in that alley, my girlfriend had just left me. I loved her for years, whether I had been willing to admit it to her or not, and that night she decided that we weren't going to work anymore."

He sighed, not wanting to look over at her but he couldn't hear her crying anymore and figured she was listening, "I am an ancestor of the demon Raizen, his blood is in my veins and for that I am constantly being hunted and challenged. Raizen was one of the 3 kings in the Demon World, and being his ancestor, I was given his position. Keiko knew that, she found out when I did, and it didn't seem to affect our relationship. But as time went on and we started to think about the future, she realized that she didn't want that with me. She wanted kids, hell so did I, but she didn't want them to be in danger all the time. So, she left me."

Turning around, he faced her, "But you have someone, right? That guy you were talking to, the guy you love, he still wants you to come back and be with him even though he knows you are dangerous. So why are you crying? Why aren't you with him?" He supposed that came out a little more like an accusation than he intended but he was irritated.

She looked at him in surprise and then laughed, a short humorless bark of a laugh, "You really shouldn't make assumptions about people, Yusuke. It makes you look like an ass almost every time.

That _guy_ I was on the phone with was my fifteen year old brother. He wants me to come home for his sixteenth birthday and I can't. Just like I couldn't go home when my grandfather died 4 months ago." She got angry then, and poked him in the chest, "And the guy that I love, he's dead too. He's been dead for a while now, he made the choice to leave me in the worst way possible. I will never be able to get him back, I will never see him again, and every day it hurts. So don't you dare talk to me like you know me, Yusuke Urameshi!"

He watched her turn and go, more than a little ashamed of himself but he followed her anyways. He knew that the best thing for her would be to talk some of it out, she hadn't had anybody to talk to this whole time. He wouldn't have been able to tell, just looking at her, she looked so strong whenever he saw her and didn't share anything. No one would know that she hadn't seen her family in over a year or that she had lost someone she had loved.

"Kagome, listen…I'm sorry." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "I didn't know and I shouldn't have just jumped to conclusions."

She scooted over on the couch and patted the cushion, "I'm sorry too. I didn't know either. Sit down, let's…let's talk.

You have been so persistant, more in the past couple weeks than the entire time we've known each other, to get me to talk to you. Why? Why do you need to know this stuff and why can't you just take what I'm offering as is?"

Sitting at the farthest end of the couch, Yusuke replied, "Because I saw something in you in the Demon World, something that I felt in myself. And, I just want to get to know you better, we are friends and that's what friends do. Friends also don't just sit back and watch their friends suffer alone."

"Tell me about yourself, Yusuke. Tell me about your life and don't leave out anything, I doubt you could shock me," Kagome said, relaxing back into her corner of the couch and resting her head in a place that allowed her to look at him.

Kagome was exhausted, emotionally drained, he had been persistently visiting and trying to pull information out of her and he just kept using the word 'friend.' And right now, after breaking her little brother's heart and spending over a year alone with no one to talk to, she was done. She would be open to friendship with him, but it would be on her terms. And Yusuke, he was actually a little surprised at how easily she seemed to have caved in. But he most certainly hadn't expected her to want to listen to him talk about his life, his whole goal was to learn more about her. He supposed it had to go both ways.

Taking a deep breath and settling into the couch, a little too embarrassed to look at her for some reason, he looked straight ahead at the blank wall. And he started his story. Every once in a while she'd ask a question and interrupt him and sometimes she'd shift on the couch, but eventually she was still and quiet and just listened. When he had finished he waited for a response, but didn't get one, so he looked over at her and sighed. Was his life really that boring that it put her to sleep? He ran his fingers through his hair and stood up to stretch before looking at the clock in the kitchen, it was pretty late, about midnight. But what was he supposed to do now?

He could leave her on the couch and get her a blanket, or he could put her to bed, or he could just leave and not let it be his problem. But, it was his problem, he was trying to establish a friendship here. So he poked around the apartment to find the bedroom and then went back to pick her up, only slightly surprised by how light she was, and put her in bed. Yusuke pulled the covers up over her and pushed her hair out of her face before taking a look around. It might have been invasive, but he really didn't care.

The walls were bare, just like the rest of the apartment, no pictures or paintings just white walls which came across more sad than anything else. She had a small basket of laundry in the corner of the room, and there was a trash can next to the nightstand full of old bandages, some random clothes laying around on the floor and one book of old Japanese myths and legends. She did have a small bookshelf out in the living room, full of paperback fiction and historical non-fiction, but this was the only hardcover book and it was right there on the nightstand. He saw something sticking out of the pages and picked up the book, opening to the page where the thing was. Of course it was her story, the story of the Shikon, and held in the pages of the story was a set of photobooth pictures, a 3x5 picture and a red piece of cloth.

The 3x5 picture, Yusuke assumed, was of Kagome's family. She was standing in a school uniform next to a small boy, both grinning happily, they were in front of a friendly-looking older woman and an old man that he assumed was her grandfather. Looking at her in the picture and comparing her to the girl…no, woman, he has known all this time was unreal. That smile, the light in her eyes, how carefree and glad she looked…he had never seen her look so happy. And the photobooth pictures, now that was the odd piece. She was in that same uniform, smiling and sitting next to a boy with silver hair and dog ears. He did not look as amused as she was, but he did get caught with a small smile in the last panel where he was looking over at Kagome who was making a goofy face into the camera. The fabric in the book looked like what he was wearing in the photos, so he assumed that's what it was. This guy, demon, whatever he was, he was the guy she loved. The long silver hair, the amber eyes, and the fangs and the 'whatever' attitude he seemed to have…Yusuke couldn't see the girl in the picture with her normal family falling in love with this mix-up of human and demon that clearly had an attitude. But that look he was giving her in the picture, that little smile, he knew that there was something there. So where was the bastard now?

He closed the book and put it back down on the nightstand before turning out the light and leaving for the night.

_**oOo**_

Kagome was waiting for Yusuke outside of the apartment the next day, she had her book in her lap on the steps and looked…different somehow. There was something about her energy and her appearance, she didn't look like the hardass she usually was. She looked…scared? Insecure and awkward, and smaller than he remembered sitting there alone on the steps.

"Hey," he said, stepping in front of her, "what are you doing out here?"

She looked up at him and squinted against the sun, "I was thinking we could go over to the park, I don't feel much like being home today."

He went to offer her a hand up, but she ignored him and pushed herself up off the steps and led him in the direction of the nearest park. It was deserted, schools hadn't let out yet so there were no kids and so Kagome sat on a swing. Yusuke dropped into the one next to her and just waited, casually pushing himself back and forth.

"Thank you for putting me in my bed. You shouldn't have done that." Her fingers tightened on her book, "You looked in my book."

It wasn't a question, Yusuke knew that, but his first reaction was to deny it. He was a little ashamed, he hadn't wanted her to know that he had looked at her most personal treasures, "I'm sorry. Actually, damn, I'm not all that sorry. I'm sorry you found out but I was curious and I looked. I can't take it back."

She shot him a look, an unhappy one, "So, I know you know the legend, my history, just ask me questions and I'll answer them. What do you want to know?"

"How did you get involved in this story? This took place five hundred years in the past, how were you even there?" It was best to start at the beginning, he supposed.

She sighed, "I was fifteen when it started, I went into the wellhouse on my family's shrine because I thought I heard my cat in there, I fell in looking down and climbed out five hundred years in the past. Because I had the Shikon and a deep connection to that time, I was pulled through by the magic in the well. I was involved in the story before I was even born in this time, my soul is a reincarnation of the priestess who was burned with the Shikon when she died and I was born with it in my body. I didn't ask for it, I didn't choose this story, I had no say. But then I was there, in the past, fifteen years old being chased by a centipede demon and then releasing Inu-Yasha so he could save me and try to kill me to get the Shikon for himself. But then I shattered it because the people there assumed I could shoot a bow and kill the bird demon who flew off with it. I hit the Jewel and shattered it. That's how I got involved, that's how I got there, I started it all."

Kagome looked over at him, she had done her best to not be emotional but it wasn't quite good enough. Even she had heard the stressed tone in her voice, and this wasn't even the hardest part to explain.

"You fell down a magic well, looking for your cat?" Yusuke asked, more than a little shocked. She was a young girl basically playing hide-and-seek with her cat never suspecting another world existed full of monsters waiting for her. She was just living with her family, her happy family, and then she was pulled out of that into a new reality.

"Yes. What kind of answer were you expecting? I wasn't looking for it to happen and I wasn't trying to time-travel, I didn't even know that the Jewel existed. What fifteen year old girl expects or hopes for a world full of demons and to be away from their family fighting for weeks on end?" She scoffed, and turned to face him, "Any other questions?"

He let her attitude slide, that's just how she was sometimes, "The legend said that everyone died in the end, but you didn't. How did it really end?"

She hesitated, this part hurt a lot, "That's how they summed it up, it's almost a perfect way to end it. Sango and Miroku died, but then again one wouldn't have lived without the other, I had tried to hide Shippo because he was so little but Naraku had taunted me saying that he found him and killed him," her knuckles turned white as she held the book tight, "he told me exactly where I had hid him, so he couldn't have been bluffing. InuYasha and I were pretty beat up but we won, we buried Sango and Miroku and I went to look for Shippo but I couldn't find him."

Yusuke was confused, "If you and InuYasha survived then why would they say everyone died?"

Kagome took a deep breath and looked up at the sky, "Because, technically we all did. There are little stories in all big stories, and one story you'll never be able to read is how my incarnation, Kikyo, was brought back from the dead. In one of the few legends of the Shikon, there is the story of the priestess who fell in love with a half-demon and wanted him to wish on the Jewel to become fully human so they could be together. But Naraku, evil as he was, attacked her in the half-demon's form so she believed he betrayed her and then pinned her real lover to the God Tree with an arrow before she died, her body was burned with the Shikon and that was how it ended. Kikyo was the priestess and InuYasha was the half-demon, some kind of tragic Romeo and Juliet story, they never got the life they truly deserved with each other.

"Anyway, on one of our travels, I had gotten stolen away and so did some of Kikyo's remains and graveyard soil, in order to revive her they needed her soul. The soul I had." Yusuke was staring at her with a look of pure fascination on his face, "It was a success at first, Kikyo's body was formed and she was alive again but I apparently pulled back most of my soul and she became something in-between alive and dead. She seemed to have no feeling, she worked only toward getting what she wanted which was the Shikon and…and InuYasha. She wouldn't return to the land of the dead until he agreed to go with her back to Hell."

Kagome fidgeted, her butt going numb, and took another deep breath before finishing her story, "So, after the battle, Kikyo made herself known. She approached me alone and wanted to challenge me for our soul and the Jewel, but InuYasha came back before either of us had gotten started. He took her aside and I watched them talk before he came over to tell me his decision. I knew before he had gotten close, I knew what he was going to say, he was leaving with her. Giving up his life and the future he could have had if he would have stayed…" She felt a tear drop and quickly wiped it away, "and since he was gone, I had nothing else to do but go home. Why would I have stayed?"

He sat and absorbed everything she had said, this answer was far longer than he expected and more complicated too. After all the fighting they did, all the traveling together, winning that final fight and surviving, the idiot threw away his life on his dead love? And Kagome disappeared out of that time forever, nothing left to hold her there, all her friends were gone. So she has been carrying the burden alone, their stories and lives and journeys.

"InuYasha, he was the one in the pictures? In your book, you and that guy, that was him?" He asked, more for confirmation and to continue the conversation than anything else.

She slid the photos out of the book and looked down at them, a sad smile on her face, "Yeah. That's him. He could come through the well too, he was always trying to drag me back with him to find more shards and finish the Jewel. I had tests to take that day and he followed me to make sure I came back right after, I used to tell myself he just wanted to spend time with me because he missed me. I pulled him into the booth because I wanted something to always remember that day."

"He's the guy you loved, the one that left you." It was a statement, not a question, he knew the answer, "So why did he leave you? Why did he go with her to Hell if he could have stayed with you?"

"He didn't love me, no matter how it may have looked to anyone else. He was my first love though, he was my hero and I spent so much time with him that I was sure I understood everything going on in that head of his. Being a half-demon, he wasn't really loved by humans or demons so he was always pushy and could be quite the bastard when he wanted to be, but I knew he was just trying to protect himself. I loved him unconditionally, in a way he had never been loved before and I think it came across more like a mother's love than what he had with Kikyo. He learned that I would always be there no matter what, when he would run off to visit her I'd be there to offer him a smile when he came back. And when he would lose control of himself, when he'd lash out and hurt me, I would always come back to him. But what he had with Kikyo, the romance and the drama and the history, he felt he owed her his life because he blamed himself for her death. So he left with her."

Yusuke reached out and grabbed her hand, "He loved you. I could see it in those pictures you have. And I can tell you that he didn't pick her over you, that wasn't his reason for it. He may have thought he owed her his life, but I can guarantee you that part of it was that he wanted to protect you. His first love, that Kikyo, she died and he blames himself. He didn't want something similar to happen to you, he loved you. I know it."

With a bit of a smile, she gave his hand a little squeeze, "Thanks Yusuke. I never thought of it that way, it was definitely something I needed to hear."

Releasing her hand, he sat back, "One last question: What happened after you came home?"

"Alright, last one. You promise? I haven't talked about this at all and it's surprisingly draining. I'm tired." And she looked it, dark circles under her eyes and she looked like something was weighing her down. He nodded.

"When I got home, I spent about one week with my family, that's all I got with them before the attacks started. Demons would show up demanding my power, the Jewel, and time and again I'd have to fight them. I couldn't count the times they showed up and hurt one of my family, or tried to use them against me somehow, it got so bad that I couldn't leave the house and they couldn't either. I couldn't watch them if they separated. So, one day, I packed up what I wanted to take with me and some essentials and told them goodbye. I told them they'd never see me again, that I was moving away to a place where no one I knew was around. It was a lie, at first." She looked away from him then, and began tugging at the end of one of her sleeves, pulling it down over her hand.

"How was it a lie?" He asked, getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Still looking away she said, "I was going away, but I had planned on going away for good. I-I tried to kill myself. I cut my wrists and just waited to die. While I was bleeding out in the bathroom of this empty apartment, I regretted nothing. I didn't wish I would live, I didn't regret my choice, I just waited. But I didn't die, I couldn't. I kept bleeding until I blacked out, I woke up a couple hours later in this huge puddle of my blood, I could feel the pain and I felt lightheaded but I was being kept alive by the Shikon. I knew it then, so I had to drag myself into the bathtub, really hard to do with damage done to your wrists, and turned the shower on. Healing was a bitch, I may heal fast but it still hurts and I can't heal myself with my own energy so it was an ordeal.

But, when I realized I had no choice but to live, I found myself a way to bring in some money to live off of and then I ran into you."

Yusuke knew that right now, after admitting something like that to him, she would need reassurance. She needed a friend. But he couldn't move, couldn't speak. He'd never known somebody who had wanted to die, but he also had never known somebody who had gone through all she'd been through. He actually felt a little sick just thinking about it all, she had spent years away from her family fighting demons, lost all her friends in the end, had to leave her family and was so destroyed by it all that she hadn't wanted to live anymore. And she had no one, for a year she had no one, and she had been living with all of this stuff inside. His heart hurt just thinking about her laying in all her blood, alone on the floor.

What do you say to someone in this situation? Do you apologize? Do you pretend you didn't hear it? Uncertain and a little frustrated, he ran his fingers through his hair, he could bet that Kuwabara would know what to say since was always so in-tune with how others felt. He'd react in a way that would make her feel better.

He stood, unsure but it was all he knew to do, moved in front of where she sat and pulled her up into a hug. The book hit the ground when it fell from her lap, but neither of them moved to pick it up.

"It's okay. It's okay because you didn't ask for any of this, so it's okay that you wanted to give up. And I will be here for you, so will the guys, we're your friends now and we aren't gotten rid of so easy," he said rather quietly, relaxing a bit when she finally started to return the hug.

"Yeah, I have friends now." She relaxed against him and gave into the hug, she hadn't been held like that in a long time and it was nice to feel the warmth of another person.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or Yu Yu Hakusho\

_A/N: Part two of two!_

_**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**_

_Summary: _Keiko left Yusuke, and the heartbroken Detective rescues the woman who turns out to be exactly what he was looking for. Kagome/Yusuke

_**oOo**_

Kagome braced herself, it was still hard to get used to having friends especially when a couple of them were all about hugging. She was sure that part of all the contact was because of Yusuke, he must have said something to them to encourage the hugging and grabbing onto her. But, she'd been visiting with the group more often now that she had talked out some of her issues and Yusuke had more or less told her that they were going to be there for her anyways so she might as well accept it and be their friend. It had been about a month and a half but she was getting a pretty good grip on things, she knew names and likes and dislikes and how everybody came to be part of their little group.

And today she had been invited over to Yusuke's place for a movie night, and for some reason she couldn't, or rather wouldn't, name-she had butterflies. Part of her was still fighting the attachment to these guys, wanting to be able to just cut and run if it felt necessary. She tried to reason with herself, she knew that they had been fighting demons for about as long as she had and they could hold their own in a fight, so being friends with them couldn't put them in much more danger than they already were in.

Hesitating for another moment outside the door, tugging on the sleeves on her jacket, she took a deep breath and then let herself in.

"Hey Kagome! It's nice to see you," Kurama said, hugging her as she stepped inside the door.

"Hi Kurama, good to see you too," she replied, trying to relax.

Kuwabara was next, pulling her into a hug despite the fact that he was so much taller than she was so the hug was a little awkward and pretty silly to look at. But he had such a friendly spirit to begin with so his hug was the least unexpected and the most natural. Hiei didn't say much, and he wasn't big on physical contact either so he just nodded to acknowledge her and she smiled at him with a nod in return. She got into the kitchen to find Yusuke watching the popcorn in the microwave, and walked up behind him to scare him when he turned around.

When he felt that shiver down his spine, like he was being watched, he turned his head and saw her out of the corner of his eye. He jumped a little before turning around completely and picking her up in a huge hug. She wouldn't say it out loud, but his hugs were her favorite.

"You're here! That means we can put in the movie. It's a good one, an action flick!" He said as he put her back on her feet.

Yusuke had considered renting a comedy, he hadn't really heard her laugh yet and wanted to. But, he didn't know what her sense of humor was like so he didn't know what would make her laugh. And it sucked. He may have learned more about her, but he still wanted to learn even more. He had been trying to come to terms with what he was feeling around her, why he wanted to get to know her so well, why he kept thinking about her…he was trying to deny that all of this meant anything. She certainly didn't seem to be looking for a relationship, and he wasn't sure he was either. Friendship was good.

But he found himself getting upset when Kurama would make her smile, or she would sit next to Hiei in this quiet companionship, and Kuwabara had no trouble getting her to talk to him. He'd just sit and watch and stew in this angry feeling he refused to call jealousy, and eventually he'd end up snapping at somebody or breaking something. He was sure Kurama knew more than he was letting on, he was a very observant and intelligent person so if anybody knew what was going on under the surface, he did.

Kagome followed him back into the living room where Kurama and Kuwabara were taking up two-thirds of the couch and Hiei was sitting in one of the chairs back in the corner. While Yusuke passed out the popcorn, Kagome stretched out on the loveseat assuming Yusuke would sit on the couch with his other friends. However after hitting the lights and starting the film, he just picked up her legs and sat down in the cushion they had been occupying and let them rest in his lap. For the first time she blushed, it may have been hard to see in the dark but Yusuke saw it when she pulled her legs away and hugged them to her chest. He felt himself get a little warm as well, as he wondered if that blush led anywhere else. He had to shift a little in his seat and try desperately to focus on the movie, he almost wished he had sat somewhere else. He was in trouble over here.

He was so aware of her presence right next to him, every time she'd shift he knew it and had to stop himself from looking over at her. Until she was moving more frequently, that is, and then he had to figure out just what the hell was going on over there.

"Kagome," he whispered, "what the fuck? What's got you moving so much?"

She gave him a mean look, "Sorry couch police. If you must know, I am a little hot and it's making me uncomfortable," she whispered back.

Looking at her huge, thick jacket pointedly he shot back in a whisper, "There's an easy fix for that you know, you could just take off your jacket and you wouldn't be hot anymore."

'_That's a lie if I ever told one,'_ he thought to himself. The shock of his thought just barely kept off his face.

"I…I don't think I should," she whispered back in a nervous tone, tugging at the end of her sleeves.

"Just do it, make yourself comfortable here, you are surrounded by friends," he whispered with a tone of finality, "unless you want me to take it off of you myself."

There it was, that blush again, the blush that messed with his head, "Fine, I'll do it."

He couldn't help but watch as she unzipped her jacket, he knew he was staring but it was out of his control. She had always worn large sweaters and jackets, he'd never seen her in a T-shirt or blouse, all of her clothes were too big on her. But now he would see what she hid under there, what did she wear? Apparently a simple black tank top was what she wore, and she looked amazing. She had such a great shape that he really didn't understand why she felt like she had to hide herself under all the layers and baggy clothes. But, as she moved to drape her jacket over the back of the loveseat, he understood. Her scars.

Her wrists each had one long deep scar, he had known they would be there though, but still the sight of them caught him off-guard. And on her chest, above her-damn, he had to shift in his seat again, there were apparent claw marks disappearing into her shirt. Obviously she was self-conscious of them, that explained everything. He tore his eyes away from her before she caught him staring, it would do no good to make her cover them back up and do more damage. So he went back to focusing on the movie, or at least pretending to, while he continued to be aware of every move she made behind him.

And Kagome was really grateful he pushed her to take off her jacket, even more grateful that he didn't draw attention to her scars and didn't continue to stare at her. She was rather mad at herself for blushing around him and hoped he hadn't noticed since the lights were out. That was not a good way for friends to behave, blushing like a schoolgirl around him had to stop. But where did he get off saying flirty things and getting cozy with her? He was making it difficult to not react and she was going to need to put some distance between them. Maybe. She really didn't want to, she enjoyed hanging out with the guys and Yusuke was the best friend she'd had in a while.

When the credits were rolling, Kagome slipped back into her jacket before the lights came on and helped Yusuke pick up the bowls and trash while the rest of the guys said their goodbyes and left. Once the clean-up was done and it was time to go, Yusuke saw her to the door.

She turned around before she got all the way out of the door and said, "Yusuke, thanks for everything," with a smile just for him.

_**oOo**_

"I called you all here because we have a problem, a big one," Koenma announced from behind his desk, looking over his odd group.

Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara and Hiei were standing together and Kagome was a small distance away from the group. It was a practice she hadn't quite rid herself of, distancing herself from people out in public. Koenma's office wasn't exactly public, but she most definitely wasn't comfortable enough there to let her guard down any.

"When isn't there a problem, toddler?" Yusuke asked in an irritated tone, arms crossed over his chest in a frustrated manner.

Kagome fought back a smile, they seemed to be more and more common around him, it shouldn't have been so easy for him to change her habits. But she thought his habit of intentionally poking at Koenma was funny.

"This time it's a big deal, there is a dangerous high-class demon on the loose. A psychic demon of high intellect, it has been able to move between the worlds with little effort and is draining humans of their life energy." He turned out the lights and turned on his projector to pull up pictures of the victims.

"We aren't sure how long he's been at this, we only noticed what was happening a couple days ago but this-," he pushed a button and up came a rather disturbing picture of a young woman, "is what the end result is. As you can see, there are open wounds in various places on the body which we've learned are just replicated injuries from their pasts." Another click, another picture, "And their faces are…well, they speak for themselves."

They couldn't help but agree, the looks of horror and fear and even sadness were very obvious to all of them. The injuries, the looks, the condition of the bodies…Kagome knew exactly what was happening here, but she'd wait to see if Koenma had already figured it out.

"We can assume that each attack followed the same basic pattern: the demon found the weakest point in the barrier and snuck through, hunted for the victim with the greatest potential for draining and carried them off to an isolated location to drain them. It seems to feed off of the energy generated by fear and pain, which explains why old scars become fresh injuries."

Kagome took that moment to speak up, "So, since you've already told us that you've missed this thing up until recently, how to you expect us to catch the slippery bastard?"

She heard a chuckle off to her left and resisted the urge to look in that direction, she really wanted an answer. What made him think, with all the ways he had to detect breeches in the barriers and he still missed it, that they had the means to detect and deal with the demon? How did you deal with psychic demons anyway? Was it possible to block their abilities and leave them relying on brute strength or even overwhelm the sense and destroy the mind? She didn't like how this situation was likely to play out. The fact that it would pick up it's victims and carry them away said a lot about it's strength and maybe even it's size. This was, from the looks of it, a very powerful and very dangerous demon.

"You will rely on Hiei's ability to sense auras and energies with his Jagan, and perhaps your own ability to do so would be helpful as well, Kagome." He replied in deadpan, as if it was an obvious response.

"And you are aware, Koenma, that Hiei and I cannot stay on high alert at all times. I know you are. He may have the Jagan under control but the longer he has it unwarded and has to put more energy into controlling it, the more likely it is that he would lose control or run out of energy. The same goes for me, I may have the energy of the Shikon within me, but even that has it's limits and needs to replenish itself." She crossed her arms underneath her chest.

And Yusuke couldn't help but stare for a moment. A long moment. Her body was a constant distraction to him lately, ever since he had seen what she hid underneath her giant sweaters. He found himself taking cold showers a lot more often, she haunted his dreams more often than not and he ended up very frustrated when he'd wake up in the middle of them. He couldn't deny that he had feelings for her anymore, but he could choose not to act on them. He occasionally flirted with her but, for all the reaction it got him, she would pull away afterwards and not be as open as had become her normal way recently. A sharp elbow to his ribs from Kurama brought his attention back to the matter at hand, and he couldn't help but be embarrassed.

"Eyes front, Yusuke!" Kurama hissed, frowning at him in disapproval.

"You will do what you have to, we don't want this demon to take another life. Work something out and get the job done!" Koenma shouted, effectively catching Yusuke's attention, "Botan! Take the guys home, I'd like to have a word alone with Kagome before I send her back."

"Come on fellas, let's get you outta here!" She chirped, opening the portal and pushing them through with her oar.

Kagome stepped up to the desk, "What is it you want, Koenma? Must be something if you aren't letting the guys in on it."

"So far the targets for this demon have been women in their twenties, all of them have come from rough pasts full of some kind of pain. I want you to go on nightly patrols with your senses on high alert, perhaps you can catch the demon in the act or-"

"Catch his attention myself?" Kagome had to give him credit where credit was due, this was a very good plan, "Not a horrible idea, it's not as if I can die so it wouldn't be able to kill me, but why couldn't you mention this with the others around?"

He sighed, "You are aware of how Yusuke became part of this team, his sacrifice for that child?" She nodded, "He is not the type to use a person as bait, none of them are really, not if they are aware of it. The only one who would be willing would be Hiei, he does not care much about the process as long as it ends the way he plans it. They would fight me on this, even knowing that you could not die, because in this particular case things could happen that are worse than death. This demon could make you relive every painful memory, all your fear and pain, and drain your energy and that of the Shikon…it actually may be very possible for you to die in this situation.

And, when you go back, you need to pull Hiei aside and tell him about this. When you are out looking for the demon, he should be focused on your energy to keep track of you. Should you find the demon, he needs to be able to pinpoint your location and get the team there. Understood?"

Kagome nodded, "Got it."

She left through the portal and walked right past everyone to the farthest corner of the room where Hiei was standing. She knew everyone was staring, they must have been curious, she couldn't have them listening in so she had to get him out and away from everyone else.

"Hiei, I need to speak with you and it's very important. Walk with me?" She asked, inclining her head toward the front door, her eyes were steel and determined.

He glared at her and simply nodded, to which she smiled in response. She said a goodbye to the group as they left, not taking the time to speak to the individuals. She didn't even turn around or else she would have seen the shock on each face and the anger that followed on Yusuke's.

_**oOo**_

"Every night this week! Neither of them are 'available' and it's pissing me off!" Yusuke punched the brick wall of Kurama's building.

"Calm down Yusuke," Kurama sighed, watching the man beside him shake the brick dust off of his hand, "they are probably just working the case like we are. They are the most important parts of this, after all. They can sense what we can't."

"If they were working, why wouldn't they be with us? What the hell do they think we are doing? We go out every night and hunt for this damn demon and they are off doing what? And did you see her leave with him after we got back from Koenma's office? Just walked right up to him and he left with her, no argument!" He grumbled as he fell in step with the other two.

Kuwabara nodded his head, "It is a little odd, Shorty doesn't like people so I don't know what was up with that. But I agree with Kurama, they are probably working. Kagome is very determined when she's put on a case. What else would they be doing?"

'_What am I so worked up about, really? Do I really believe that Kagome could be interested in Hiei? Or that Hiei is interested in her? And what would it matter if they were…together? I hadn't made a move on her, I thought she wasn't looking for a relationship and I respected that. She can make her own choices.'_

So, if that's how he really felt on the subject, why did the thought of her being held by Hiei feel like a knife in his heart?

"Just shut up, both of you. Look for signs of the demon and shut the hell up," Yusuke said, head drooping.

And while he was lost in his feelings, Kagome and Hiei were on the other side of town but they weren't together. Hiei was keeping to the rooftops a few blocks behind Kagome, letting her play bait. He had been quietly surprised when she told him what they'd be doing, he hadn't expected her to be so willing to put herself at risk and said as much. She just told him that, through certain experiences, she couldn't die so it was no big deal to her. And he let it be after that. He wasn't going to push her for details and he wasn't going to try and talk her out of it, he wanted this mission over with and she was the best bet for it.

Kagome couldn't help but be exhausted by the whole process, however, putting her energy out there to be felt by this demon and to feel the demon as well was a hard process. But they were out every night walking different streets and getting no results whatsoever. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach now though, it had been there all evening, tonight was the night. They were going to find the demon tonight and the only reason she didn't tell anybody was because she didn't want to change anything in case it affected what happened. It was now, as a matter of fact.

She turned and looked in the direction of the building where she could sense Hiei, and she just barely got his name out before she was grabbed and pulled into the shadows, "Hiei!"

"Dammit!" He growled, pulling out his communicator and contacting Botan, "Bring the detective and the others here, NOW." He slammed it closed and leapt off the building to wait for them on the ground.

He focused the Jagan on Kagome's energy signature, they hadn't known how it traveled and they weren't expecting it to shadow-walk. She could be anywhere now, too far for them to get there in time. Searching, he found her a couple miles away in the direction of woods, perfect cover for a shadow-walker. Now where was that stupid ferrygirl with the team?

As if he summoned them with his thoughts, the portal popped up a couple feet away and Botan was pushing them out before leaving again. They looked confused and Yusuke looked pissed, normal for the lot of them.

Kurama walked briskly toward him, "Hiei, what's going on?"

"We found the demon, it walks in the shadows, that's why it's been so hard to find." He stated in monotone as the others approached as well.

"Where is it then, if you found it?" Yusuke demanded, giving him an especially nasty look.

Hiei raised a brow but otherwise didn't acknowledge his attitude simply pointed in the proper direction, "In there."

"Alright, where's Kagome? Let's get this over with and be done here." He responded, looking around impatiently.

He casually pointed again, "There."

"What? Shorty, you just let her go off after it on her own?" Kuwabara asked, astonished.

Kurama squinted at him then, figuring it all out, "No, she didn't go after it, did she Hiei? This was the plan all along, am I right? You and Koenma helped set her up as bait and she went right along with it. It came and got her while you were watching."

"Goddammit! Are you serious?" Yusuke took off in the direction of the trees, disappearing into them in moments. The rest of them were right behind him.

And Kagome was waiting.

She wasn't afraid while they were shifting, she knew that she was safe as long as they were still moving. But they weren't going to be in motion long, the worst part about not knowing how the demon traveled. They had assumed it ran, meaning there would be time for the rest to get there and give chase. But it walked in the shadows, it could get where it was going no problem. Which was a problem for her because the demon had just stopped moving. And the guys were too far away to prevent any damage…and there was the small flurry of fear in her stomach.

"Come on guys, I'm counting on you…" She said to the empty air before she was thrown to the ground.

Hiei frowned as he felt the flutter in her energy, she was afraid. But she was strong, for a human, and she continued to project her energy so they could find her. He picked up his pace a bit, something he refused to identify as concern fueling his movements.

"Hiei, what is it, what did you feel?" Kurama asked, keeping pace beside him.

"Her energy has stopped moving and she is afraid," He responded.

Yusuke swore again and began to move even faster, his stomach clenched at the thought of what could be happening to her at this very moment. The pictures Koenma had shown them were right there in the back of his mind, but their faces became Kagome's. But she was going to be okay because she couldn't die, she'd live so there would be no pictures of her broken body. Somehow that didn't make him feel better, he didn't want her to be hurt at all.

"How far away are we?" He demanded, "Are we close?"

Kurama looked over at Hiei and said, "Not close enough Yusuke. Not close enough." They had at least another mile to go before they'd catch up to her.

Kagome could feel them and knew that she wouldn't be spared the pain of this encounter, but she wouldn't have to suffer long before they came to help. It was a terrifying moment, to realize that she was back in the position of needing rescued and depending on someone showing up. Again, somehow, she was a part of a team and working with friends. A dangerous predicament where somebody could die if they weren't careful.

And then she couldn't think about that anymore because she was pinned down by a huge clawed hand and a massive third eye opened on the forehead of the demon and she felt herself spiraling into the blackness. It took all her focus to keep projecting her energy despite getting lost somewhere within her own mind. Everything was black, she felt like she was floating, and then she could see again. She knew that she was in a memory, she had to remind herself because it all felt so real, this was when she had been kidnapped by the poisonmaster. She could feel the rope around her wrists and she could smell the sweat of him in the room. And she knew what was about to happen, what she was about to relive. It would be purely physical, she had moved past the emotional trauma of the rape and it wouldn't last long because Sesshomaru had saved her not long after she'd be taken.

Whatever happened here, she wouldn't scream. She could withstand it. She was strong. Besides, help was on the way as long as she kept projecting.

Hiei knew the moment it started, her energy had disappeared for a long minute before returning. It was wavering and weak but he could still pinpoint it, they were close but they were already too late. The Jagan was pulling and trying to delve into her mind now that it was so open and vulnerable, and he let it go if only to satisfy his own morbid curiosity. And perhaps he could contact her, tell her that they were near her. He did not get the chance though, he got a glimpse of what was happening before the demon forced him out. But he'd seen enough, and he knew she felt him in there for that split-second.

"Faster, we are close." He said, his voice not betraying the urgency that boiled beneath the surface.

Kurama knew though, he knew what it meant when Hiei was the one urging them on, this was one hell of a demon. He looked toward Yusuke and saw the look on his face, he had to watch him in this situation because he had known how he had been dealing with his feeling toward Kagome. He was very likely to do something especially rash and put everyone in danger because he was only recently coming to terms with his feelings. And suddenly, they broke through some brush and found the demon.

It was large, all muscle except for the belly which looked a lot like a beer gut, and there was a massive eye upon it's forehead glowing a disgusting yellow and it was fixed upon Kagome pinned beneath one large clawed hand. Kagome was…worse for the wear. There was a lot of blood, and she looked tired but determined. She was strong, she did not show any of the fear that Hiei could obviously sense coming from her, but her eyes were closed and her fingernails were dug into the earth underneath her. She was definitely hurting.

"Hey! Let her go, you big ugly bastard!" Yusuke shouted, catching the demon's attention.

It was distracted, all three eyes were on them now and Kagome's eyes opened to see them as well, and she mustered up a small smile. Yusuke forced himself to not look at her, he knew he wouldn't be able to control himself if he saw the damage done to her. He focused on the demon, the ugly beast and it's ugly eye, he watched it move toward them with Kagome in it's hand. It's third eye widened and then squinted as it focused it's powers at the group…but was enraged when they didn't hit the ground in pain.

"I said, let her go!" He demanded again, pulling his hands up to mimic a gun.

It let out a roar and swung it's arms out in an expression of it's rage. Between Kagome and Hiei, they were successfully blocking his psychic abilities but it wasn't going to hold up long. Especially with the way it was waving Kagome about and how weak she was getting, neither of them could hold back all of it's power by themselves.

"Detective, we have to strike now," Hiei said as he pulled out his sword, "there is a limited amount of time before we'll be overwhelmed and it will be able to use it's psychic abilities to destroy us as well."

Kurama readied his whip, and Kuwabara summoned his Spirit Sword, they did not hesitate to charge and attack. Yusuke hesitated at first, Kagome was up there in the hand of that demon. All attempts to do damage to it could potentially damage her as well. The others didn't seem as concerned about the situation, or if they were they were ignoring it. Kurama was attempting to trip up the demon with his whip wrapped around it's legs, Kuwabara was cutting at it's legs and Hiei was up on the arm going for it's neck.

"Yusuke, fire! You can put it down with one good shot!" Kurama shouted while he struggled with the strong legs of the demon.

Again he readied his hands and again he hesitated.

"Yusuke," Kagome said, finding herself getting closer to losing consciousness, "you can't kill me. Just shoot it! Hiei is right here, he'll keep me safe."

Hiei shot her an angry look and Yusuke frowned at the implication behind her words, summoning his energy he put all his feelings into one large shot. It slammed into the demon's chest and down it went, making a large thud as it hit the ground. Kurama retracted his whip and Kuwabara got rid of his sword, then both of them stepped back. The gaping hole in the demon's chest told them it was over. The fire demon was standing underneath a tree, awkwardly holding Kagome up with a look of disdain on his face. It was obvious that he did not want to be touching her so Kuwabara walked over and picked her up, much to her protest. But it was a weak protest, she didn't say much at all.

"Let's get you home and bandage you up," he said to her, in a tone that refused to be argued with, "Kurama, can you and Hiei cover the report with the toddler?"

"Yes, we can." Kurama replied, shooting a look to Hiei that told him he would be helping whether he wanted to or not, "You and Yusuke take good care of her. She did a great job today."

Yusuke looked at Kagome, already out in Kuwabara's arms, "You know what, I got this one guys. Knowing her, she wouldn't want anybody fussing over her. I'll take her home, clean her up and put her to bed."

Kuwabara and Kurama exchanged a look and nobody protested when Yusuke took her and left. Maybe this would all sort itself out and they wouldn't have to put up with a frustrated Yusuke anymore.

Once they got to her apartment, Yusuke managed to get the door open and inside to the bathroom without moving her too much. He turned the shower on and laid her in the tub before pulling all the bandages and first aid kit out from under the sink. He knew she would object if she was awake, but he had to cut her bloody clothes off to see the damage and patch it up. He left her bra and panties to preserve her modesty, or rather he had planned on until he saw the state of them. He rinsed her off and wiped her down with a soapy rag before rinsing her again and turning off the shower. He bloodied a towel while drying her off, and used up most of her bandages covering all the wounds, and then carried her to bed.

He was very surprised that she didn't wake up even once, he wasn't the gentlest of people, but she was very much unconscious as he put her in the bed and covered her up. When he went to go clean up the bathroom, he felt a small tug and saw her hand fisted in his shirt. It was a solid grip and rather than pry her fingers off, he just tried to walk away a little bit more. Nope, she was holding on tight. He grabbed her hand and the hold transferred from his shirt to his hand, using his other hand he grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her loose. It was kind of funny, she was out like a light but had a steel grip. He was making some slow progress trying to be easy about it, his hand was slowly slipping out of hers, but then he stopped.

She had mumbled something, too quiet to be understood, but her lips moved and her face was sad. He wondered what it was and waited for a repeat, but he didn't get one. So he moved his hand again and she did it again. She mumbled and this time he caught it, just barely,

"Don't go."

Talk about tugging at the heartstrings, he couldn't walk away from her now. For all his confusion about her, all the feelings he fought, he knew what was basis of it all. He wanted more than just friendship from her, he wanted a relationship with the promise of forever. Not the uncertain future he had been promised by Keiko, the forever full of a love that knew no bounds and had unparalleled acceptance. Kagome had that in her, he knew she did, he had seen it in her actions and heard it in her voice and in her stories.

Kicking off his shoes, he climbed into the bed beside her and held her as gently as possible. His heart was fluttering, there were butterflies in his stomach, this was the first time he had been so close to her. She was warm from the shower and he couldn't feel much skin because she was so covered in bandages. But he could smell her hair and hear her even breathing, and soon enough he was put to sleep by it.

_**oOo**_

Kurama stood over the bed, smiling at the sight of Yusuke snoring next to a neatly bandaged Kagome. Too bad he had to wake him up, she needed her bandages changed and he was absolutely certain that Yusuke wouldn't let anybody else do it because of her state of undress.

"Yusuke," he said quietly, shaking his friend's shoulder gently, "wake up. Time to change Kagome's bandages and you should probably eat some breakfast."

He jumped a bit, eyes wide, "Kurama, how did you get in? I thought I closed the door." His voice was husky from sleep and he was already sitting up in his rumpled clothes.

"You may have closed the door but you didn't lock it. Besides, I have the soul of a demon thief, you think I couldn't get in if I wanted to?"

Slowly climbing out of the bed, Yusuke took the bag of bandages from Kurama, "I've got this, you go start breakfast if you think I need to eat so badly." His look brooked no argument. Kurama sighed and left.

Brushing the hair out of her face, Yusuke used a soft tone, "Kagome, I need to change your bandages. Can you wake up and eat something?"

Her mouth opened a bit and her eyes followed slowly, at first they were foggy and she blinked a few times before looking up at his face, "Y-Yusuke?" A slow smile and then, "You stayed."

She cleared her throat a bit after hearing the rusty sound of her voice, she was sore all over and the bandages were tight but she found a smile for him. She could tell he had just woken up himself, his clothing was wrinkled and his eyes were heavy and dark. Somehow, looking at him standing over her and knowing he had been there, it still got a reaction from her. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt flushed. And when he smiled back, her smile just got bigger.

"Yeah, I stayed. You sort of asked me to not leave." He gave a cocky smile when she blushed.

"So, bandages?" Her voice had a bit of a squeak and her eyes darted away. She moved to sit herself up and Yusuke went to help. When the blanket slid down her body she blushed even deeper and tried to grab it, "I'm naked?"

It was said in quiet horror and he felt sorry for her then, he knew how she felt about her scars. But there was nothing he could do about it considering that some of the scars had reverted to open wounds.

"Who did this? Did everybody see?" No tears in her eyes, but he heard them in her voice.

"I brought you home alone and cleaned you up. Nobody else saw, I promise."

She knew he was trying to make her feel better but he was probably the last person she wanted to see her naked. She didn't want him to see her all disfigured and torn up, she was attracted to him and just knew that nobody could be attracted to her if they knew. If they saw. Eyes cast back down at her hands, she blinked away tears.

"What's wrong?" He was confused, wasn't it better that nobody else saw?

"Ah, nothing, let's just get this done, yeah? The sooner, the better…we can cover me back up." She mumbled the last bit.

"_Who says I wanna cover you back up when it's done?" _He thought as he sat at the edge of the bed and started unwrapping her.

He hated to admit, if only because she was so beat up, but he still found himself enticed by her. Being so aware of her body as he was taking her bandages off was getting him a little flushed and he tried to avoid looking at her so he wouldn't become too worked up…it was hard enough being so close to her bare skin. But, while he was doing his best to not think about doing dirty things to her and avoiding taking advantage of her while she was injured, she was interpreting his actions in a different way.

The way he only barely brushed her skin with his as if he was avoiding touching her and the way he was looking around the room and not at her unless he absolutely had to…it felt like he was disgusted by her. But of course he would be, she saw her body on a regular basis and knew where every scar was placed. There were many of them and quite a few of them were large, but battling in the Feudal Era did that to a body. And it wasn't attractive, she knew that. Yusuke's reaction just confirmed what she had felt. She was drawn out of her thoughts by a clang coming from her kitchen and she was startled.

"What was that?" She asked Yusuke, who was about halfway done with re-bandaging her.

Without looking up at her he answered, "Kurama came by with bandages this morning and I think he's in there making breakfast."

Sensing an out for the both of them Kagome acted without thinking, "Could you maybe get him to come in here to finish me up?"

The hurt was instantaneous, Yusuke looked up at her then and knew that she could see his reaction, but he didn't care. He had carried her home, cleaned her and bandaged her and slept next to her to give her comfort…and **this** was how she was going to treat him? Didn't she know? But, then again, she couldn't know. He may have flirted a little and fought to become her friend, but he never made any intentions known. Still, she seemed to prefer the company of the other three men over himself and just couldn't understand why that was.

Kagome saw the struggle of emotions on his face and realized how inconsiderate she sounded the second it came out of her mouth. She hurt his feelings. She basically said it didn't matter what he had done for her last night, she was pushing him away. But she couldn't stand having him so close to her, she wanted him in a way she had never wanted anyone before. And seeing his reaction to her body, the avoidance in his touch, she just wanted him away from her. Kurama was sweet, he was calm and unwavering and the biggest selling point on having him in here, she wasn't attracted to him. She acknowledged his beauty but that had never been what she was attracted to, and he was a good friend. He was so intuitive, if he was going to talk about anything it wasn't going to be her scars if only to be kind to her.

"Yusuke, I-" She began, but he cut her off.

"Don't. Just…don't." He dropped the bandages and left the room, off to fetch Kurama and cool down on the patio.

Kurama let himself into the room only a moment later, sitting on the edge of her bed and picking up where Yusuke left off seamlessly. Kagome watched his hands move, they were careful and quick, he had very skilled hands. Most fox demons did. She lost herself in watching him work, trying to forget the look of hurt on Yusuke's face.

Looking at her face, Kurama said, "You've been through quite a lot in your life. It must have been hard, to do what you did and then to lose all your friends."

Kagome just looked at his face, studying it quietly, he obviously had something to say to her. She looked at his eyes, so very green with a hint of gold around the pupil, there were hundreds of years worth of wisdom in them. Perhaps she could learn something from him.

"So is that why you are pushing Yusuke away? Because you are afraid of losing him like you lost your other friends?" He tied off one bandage and started wrapping another, "We are your friends, Kagome, and I for one have noticed the way you keep distance between yourself and Yusuke. I do find it odd, though, that he is the only one you seem so determined to keep away."

She gave him a little glare, "He is the only one who pushed and pulled and forced me into this friendship. The rest of you are different."

He sighed, "Kagome, we are your friends now. Even Hiei. You are a part of our lives and none of us would let you walk out without a fight. We have all been through something, each of us have our own stories, and we found each other in these strange circumstances and formed bonds that aren't easily broken.

I doubt you know how I first met Yusuke. When I became Suichi Minamino, I had every intention of leaving as soon as I got my demon powers back. But meeting and knowing my mother, our mother, I felt love like I had never known and I knew that I couldn't leave her. I had never formed such an attachment, to love was weakness and love is dangerous for both myself and Mother, but I did. And I still know that she could become a target of attack should anybody find out about her in this Human World. Anyway, when she became very ill, I set out to steal the Forlorn Hope to save her life at the cost of mine and that is where I met Yusuke. When he showed up, he offered up his own life to save mine without even knowing me, the mirror took half of each of our life forces and that is why I stand before you today.

You see, Yusuke is innately kind. Though he is rough around the edges, he is a good person and a loyal person. You keep pushing him away but he will keep coming back to be your friend, until he is all but a shell of who he was before. And then he will still stay by your side. What I am saying here is that you are pushing him and all you'll do is hurt him but you won't get rid of him."

He was done with her bandages by the end of his talk, he was just sitting on the edge of her bed and regarding her with his cool, intelligent look. It was odd how he was almost looking into her soul, and she knew that he was saying something else within his little speech. Almost as if…

"You know. That's why you wanted to tell me what you just told me, because you know what I've been feeling." Her voice was almost accusing, and closer to a whisper than it had been before, "But you know enough about my life to know how dangerous it is to let someone be close to me, I don't want to put another person's life in jeopardy. And, you were just dealing with my bandages, you saw me. Nobody could be attracted to this body."

Kurama's eyes softened as he looked at the honest pain in her face, "I just wanted to make sure my message got across clear, what you do with this relationship is your business. But I do not want to see him suffer, I don't want to see him hurt again. You are both my friends, so I hope you sort this out." He patted her hand before leaving the room.

He found Yusuke on the patio with a piece of toast in his hand and an angry expression on his face. He was using his anger to express his pain, which was a dangerous reaction and could end up hurting him even more in the end.

"Yusuke, what's on your mind?" When the young man didn't respond, he pressed on, "You know there must be a reason behind her actions. I am certain that part of it is just her way of protecting herself, it's nothing against you. She has lost all her friends and never sees her family in order to protect them, maybe she's trying to protect you as well. Or maybe she's just not sure how to react to your friendship."

He watched as the anger faded from Yusuke's face, only to be replaced with the look Kurama recognized as his "idea" look.

"Kurama, can you look after her for a while? I'm not sure how long it will be, but I've got something to do."

At first he was going to ask questions, but decided against it when he saw the light of determination in his friend's eyes, he hadn't seen that in a while.

"Sure, I'll make sure she's okay."

And then he was gone.

_**oOo**_

Kagome was forced to stay in bed for three days to makes sure she healed fast, and she did a lot of sleeping and a lot of dreaming during those three days. Her dreams were mostly about the past, all the things she couldn't change no matter how much she wanted to, but sometimes she dreamed about Yusuke. She always woke up with guilt after those dreams, he had left the day she had asked that he not be the one to take care of her and he hadn't been back since…whenever she dreamed about him, she just wanted to tell him how sorry she was and that she didn't mean to hurt him.

But Kurama had been there, every day, taking care of her and helping her around the place. She knew that she could have survived on her own if he wanted to leave, she told him as much, but he said he had made a promise and left it at that. They talked when she wasn't sleeping, she wanted to know about his mom and his past life as the legendary Youko Kurama, it was nice to just sit and talk to a friend about the things that no one else would understand. Demons, cursed jewels, travels in the past, the friends they'd known and lost; it was like spending time with him was a great therapy session. But then she was allowed to move again, she could get out of bed and go for a walk, almost back to normal, and the first thing she wanted was some fresh air.

Spending so much time in the Feudal Era made her long for the open skies and the energy of all the trees that once stood where there were now buildings, she got outside as often as she could but it just wasn't enough. So she sat on the patio and day-dreamed about the endless forests and bright blue skies of the past and was only interrupted when Kurama announced that Kuwabara had come by to visit. She smiled at that, he was a big softy, that one.

"Hey Kagome, how are you feeling?" He asked as he sat down beside her.

"Better. I'm almost back to normal, feeling good." She replied, looking over at him with a little smile. She wanted to ask him about Yusuke, what he was up to and how he was doing, but it was awkward. She didn't know how to ask without being asked questions too.

He smiled big at her, "That's good! I was worried about you. I mean, uh, you were pretty beat up there and there was a lot of blood…"

"I can say that it's nothing I hadn't been through before, so there was no need to worry. A psychic demon can only put me through pain I've already felt, after all." She tried to reassure him because he looked so uncomfortable.

"W-what was it like?" He stuttered in asking, unsure about her reaction to the question, "You really don't have to answer, if you don't want to. I'm just curious."

Kagome hesitated at first, putting herself out there and opening up to people but she remembered what Yusuke had said before, _'I will be here for you, so will the guys, we're your friends now and we aren't gotten rid of so easy.'_ Maybe he was right, maybe she should try.

"Honestly?" She sighed and leaned back, "It was hell. I relived every injury I ever got and after traveling in the Feudal Era for a few years, they add up and vary from scrapes to heavy-duty 'where's the blood coming from' holes. It was all so very real too, I could smell and feel and hear everything like I was back there. I had to constantly remind myself that they were only memories."

"I'm sorry. Y'know, that we didn't get there before you got hurt. We tried, Yusuke more than any of us, but we had no idea where you were and we didn't know how it traveled."

"Shh, it's okay. I knew you guys would get there, I felt you coming. Don't be sorry, I took the risk and knew what could happen." She reached out and awkwardly patted his hand.

It was nice, she realized, to have friends and people who cared about her in her life again. For all her family's begging her to come home, that's all they did. They never called her, she always called them and that was all the contact they had. They wanted her back, but not just to have her home, they wanted her back to the girl they knew and that just wasn't going to happen. But here she was now, with these new friends who completely accepted her even at her worst. And she had known that they would come for her, they would help her and save her when she put herself in the position of bait even if they didn't like it.

"Thank you," she said, dropping her head on his shoulder, "for saving me. And for being my friend."

"It's whatever." He said, but he smiled and put his arm around her, "So, where's Urameshi at? I haven't seen him since he carried you home. I figured I could see him when I came to check on you but I only saw Kurama."

She stiffened and her heart sped up, "He left a couple days ago, I thought he went home. You seriously haven't seen him?"

"He left?" He was obviously surprised by the answer.

"Yes, he left. He had something to do, but he made sure to tell me he'd be gone for an unknown amount of time." Kurama stepped out onto the patio with them.

"Kurama, was it because of something I said? I thought you told me-" Kagome was conflicted and she felt a small onset of panic. If she had pushed Yusuke away then surely the rest of them would follow him.

"Kagome, shh. He didn't give any particular reason for his leaving, but he did ask me to look after you. Does that sound like he left because of something you said?" He sat on the other side of her in a comfortable companionship.

_**oOo**_

While Yusuke was gone, it had been over two weeks now, Kagome had filled in for him as part of the Spirit Detectives and bonded more with the team. But, while she was doing all that bonding, she was also missing him. His attitude, his giant hugs, his handsome face and roguish smile. She dreamed about him every night, instead of dreaming about all of her friends from the past, and found herself waking up over-heated and frustrated in the middle of quite a few nights. It was ridiculous; she had thought that the distance would make it easier to detach herself and get rid of her feelings surrounding him but she found herself thinking more about him and worrying about him and the dreams…Gods, the dreams were over-whelming. She had never had dreams like that about InuYasha.

So here she was, sitting up past midnight refusing to acknowledge that she knew exactly how many days Yusuke had been gone, and watching a late night horror film. She hadn't even tried to go to bed, her mind was racing and she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep so she didn't even bother. Ever since Yusuke brought her home and had laid down with her sleeping was a battle, her bed felt very empty. She ran a hand through her hair, she just couldn't turn off her brain and it may end up driving her nuts.

"Man, I should really get a cat or something…" she muttered to herself.

She couldn't concentrate on the movie, an old black and white flick about a vampire, and looked at the clock to see that it was close to two-thirty in the morning. Realizing that she might not be sleeping at all tonight, she decided she could go out for a late night walk and maybe even come across a rogue demon or two, if she was lucky. Maybe she'd be able to wear herself out and get some sleep. Slipping into her sneakers, she took off.

She wandered without purpose for a good hour, taking in the sights of streets she'd never been on and all the life that seemed to take place when the city got dark. She got propositioned many times, and threatened as well, but she was more than capable of taking care of the issues and moving on. It was kind of invigorating to have to put a man up against the building and demand he back the fuck off, it was definitely something to do on nights like tonight. She might even be doing some good and getting the message across that they just can't touch a woman because she's alone on a dark street.

Eventually she decided to pop into a bar, something she did very rarely but she was feeling a bit out of sorts so why not have a drink? It wasn't crowded, but it was about four in the morning so that was expected, but she sat on an empty stool at the bar and had a beer and still managed to attract the attention of one of the older gentlemen there. Lucky for her, he was just a lonely old man who wanted someone to talk to and she was happy to listen. He talked about his kids who had all moved away and the grandkids he never saw, and even his wife who had passed away just the year before. It broke her heart a little, to see such a sweet old man alone, and she would have done something like get his phone number or given him hers but she couldn't. He was safer alone than with her as a friend. So she excused herself and left the bar to start the journey home.

As she was picking her way home through the streets, she caught the flicker of demon energy down a nearby alley. She couldn't help but wonder what it was about alleys that attracted them so much, perhaps the cover of darkness and the ability to hide the victim from sight during an attack. Picking up her pace, she soon found herself at the mouth of the alley where the demon stood over a bloody body of man. Or what she assumed to be a man, in the dark and covered in all that blood, it was hard to tell what it was. But then it moaned, a very human moan with a low tone that sounded male, and she knew.

"Did you really think you could get through the barrier and get away with killing a human?" She asked quietly but loud enough to know she'd be heard, and watched the demon jump a little at her voice.

"And do you think you can stop me, priestess?" It growled, the man momentarily forgotten at the prospect of a new challenge.

She laughed, "Obviously you don't know what I am capable of, demon. Come try me!"

It didn't hesitate, it's charge fueled with rage, and she narrowly avoided it's claws feeling the snag of them in her shirt. She had never been more grateful that her clothing was so large on her than she was on this night. But she didn't have time to think about it as the demon struck again, scratching her arm but she shrugged it off like it was nothing before striking out with one glowing pink hand. She watched as one arm turned to ash and crumble onto the ground.

It screamed and shouted, "You bitch!" Then it was after her again.

With one arm, it wasn't very coordinated and could do much damage, she danced around it's attacks while landing some of her own. Small patches of it's skin were burnt and peeling off all over it's chest and stomach and the remaining arm. The demon was blinded by the pain and was lashing out in an awkward fashion, and that's when she decided to end it. Running at the wall she jumped and pushed off to grab onto the demon's neck and literally purify the head off of it's shoulders. She hopped off as the body hit the ground, now that it was dead she could get rid of the rest of the body without a hassle. She found that living demons tried to fight the purification and it took more energy on her part to finish it off. Once they were dead, however, it was simple to get rid of everything.

She rushed over to the man on the ground, the sun was starting to rise and the light made it easier to see the injuries. He was pretty torn up, especially his torso, and there was a lot of blood covering him and the ground around him. She knelt beside his head and lifted it into her lap, stroking his hair and focusing her energy to attempt to heal him.

"Just relax, it'll be okay…" She said softly, trying to soothe him as she enveloped him with her energy and watched the skin knit itself back together.

And, in a few minutes, it was done. She helped him to his feet and took off before he could get a word in, hoping that he didn't get a good look at her face. She ran a few blocks in the direction of her apartment before deciding that she wasn't ready to go home just yet. The sun was rising so she decided to hit the park and watch it come up over the trees. It was very relaxing to watch the colors in the sky change but then her stomach growled and she left to find a café for a coffee and doughnut.

She didn't start home until after lunch, around two-thirty, when she realized that she had been out for twelve hours and probably could use a shower and a change of clothes. People were starting to look at her funny because of the blood stains on her outfit. It was about three when she could spot her building and a couple familiar silhouettes standing outside of it. Her heart leapt up in her throat when she heard a voice she had missed for the past couple weeks,

"What do you mean you don't know where she is? I thought you were taking care of her, Kurama!" Yusuke shouted.

The first place he had gone to when he got back was Kagome's apartment, he had wanted to see her and talk to her but she wasn't home. He got ahold of Kurama as fast as he could and was giving the fox a serious talking-to. He wasn't sure what he was expecting when he got back, but he certainly hadn't expected to hear that she had gone missing just the night before.

"Calm down, Yusuke! I'm sure she's fine, she might have just gone off for a walk. Although…she wasn't here this morning when I stopped by, but who knows what she does when we aren't around? She does have a life of her own, after all." Kurama replied, just taking his friend's attitude in stride.

"Or she could have been taken by some demon last night and she could be lost somewhere in the Demon World of bleeding in an alley somewhere! Damn it!" He turned around and started to pace a bit but stopped when he saw her approaching.

"Jeez, Urameshi, don't you have any faith in my abilities whatsoever?" She said with a big smile, she couldn't hold it back. She was so happy to see him.

He met her halfway, grabbing her by her upper-arms and looking her over, "Where the hell have you been? What happened to you? Where'd all that blood come from?"

If it was possible, her smile got even bigger, "Were you worried about me?"

"Just shut up and answer my questions!" He forced her back a step and gave her an up-and-down. She could see the genuine concern in his eyes and decided to cut him some slack.

"I couldn't sleep last night so I decided to go for a walk. I just wandered around, talked to a friendly old man at a bar and found myself a demon to fight. Most of the blood isn't mine, the demon had a guy in an alley and I fixed him up. I just didn't feel like coming home for a while so I stayed out. I'm fine, honestly."

He looked a little relieved and the light was back in his eyes, "You just can't stay out of trouble, can you?" He let her go, satisfied that she wasn't hurt or bleeding.

"Me? What about you? Where the hell have you been all this time?"

"Well I was coming to tell you but you had apparently decided to take off before I could visit. Now, can we go inside? I've got something for you."

Kagome led them upstairs, full of questions and hoping he would give some answers. Where had he been? Why did he leave? What did he do while he was gone?

They sat at the kitchen table, Kagome made the three of them some tea and they settled in with eyes on Yusuke.

"So…you said you had something for me? And this better not be a dirty joke, Yusuke!"

Yusuke took a moment, taking in the sight of Kagome after being gone away for so long. Her clothes were blood-stained and her shirt was torn, her hair was unruly and there were bags under her eyes, and she was just as stunning as he remembered her. He had missed her face, her eyes, her company and, oh, how much he had wanted to hug her when he saw her out there on the street. But he didn't, he held back. As much as he cared about her, as much as he had dreamed about her and thought about her while he was gone, he remembered how she had pushed him away before he left and stopped himself. But he had wanted to hold her, especially after the scare he had when he couldn't find her.

Kurama cleared his throat, it was a little awkward to be watching Yusuke stare at Kagome so openly, "Yusuke?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, I've got a surprise for you. It was hard to find and took me quite a while but…it was worth it." Rising from his chair, he moved to the sliding glass door that led to the patio and opened it. He gave a single, sharp whistle before turning around to see their confused faces, "It'll be just a second."

"Why don't you tell us about where you were?" Kurama asked.

"In a minute, I want to do this first." He looked back out the open door and the other two turned to face the same direction.

There was a light touch of a familiar demon energy in the air, and Kagome let out a gasp, "Yusuke…you didn't…how did you?" She jumped out of her chair and was on her knees in front of the open door, arms open just in time to catch a ball of orange fur.

"Kagome!"

"Shippo, oh Gods, is it really you?" She was shaking, there were tears in her eyes and she was squeezing the poor kit so tight she was certain he was going to pop.

"It's me!" He gave her a sniff and scrunched his nose, "And you need a bath. You smell like blood."

She gave a watery laugh and pulled him away from her body to look at him, he looked just like she remembered, "I know, I had a long day."

Kagome looked up at Yusuke who was standing over them and watching the scene play out with a smile dancing around his lips, "What did you do, Yusuke? How? _Why?_"

"I remembered you saying that you didn't really know for certain what happened to Shippo, you could never find him and just assumed he was gone for good. And that didn't sit right with me, so I found the well on your family's shrine and went looking for him. With a little help from Hiei, we got the portal to open up enough to let me through…took me all this time but I found him."

She looked him over, the torn and dirty clothes and the mess of his hair and she realized that he must have never stopped. She couldn't have hated herself more for what she had done to him before he left, he did this for her even after she pushed him away like she did. He was truly an amazing friend. Letting Shippo go, she threw herself at Yusuke and hugged him like her life depended on it.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me." She said into his chest.

He returned the hug with a, "No big deal."

"No, it's a huge deal! You are so wonderful, I don't know how I'll ever repay you for what you've done for me."

Yusuke wanted to tell her that her happiness was thanks enough, he wanted to hold her until his arms fell off, he wanted to kiss her senseless, but he just let his arms drop so she could stop hugging him and go back to Shippo. And then he sat back down next to Kurama to watch her smother the kit in kisses and hugs and answer his questions.

"Yusuke, why did you do this?" Kurama asked his friend with a knowing smile.

"Kurama, don't ask questions you know the answers to, it makes you look like a jackass." He replied, shooting the avatar an amused look.

He smiled a little, "As long as you aren't lying to yourself. But you do need to talk to her. Soon."

"How about you take Shippo for ice cream and show him around a bit, Kurama? I'm sure he'd enjoy some time with another fox and you are right that Yusuke and I need to talk so we could use some alone time." She said it with an uncertain heart, she didn't want to let her little fella go after just getting him back and she wasn't sure what to say to Yusuke.

"Sure." He smiled at Kagome and rose from the table, "C'mon Shippo, let's go see the sights."

Shippo gave a tentative sniff of this new guy before taking his hand. If Kagome and Yusuke trusted him then he must be an okay fella, "Be back soon!" He waved at them as they left the apartment.

The two of them sat in a small moment of silence, her still on the floor and him in a chair at the table, neither of them were sure what to say first. Eventually it became too much and Kagome had to end the quiet,

"I'm sorry." It was spoken fast, she was looking up at him with the most honest expression of pain on her face, "I am so, so sorry for what I said to you before you left. I wasn't thinking and I wasn't appreciating what you had done for me."

His heart gave a sick thump, this isn't what he wanted to hear from her, he didn't want her apologizing to him. He appreciated it but he didn't like how sad she looked, but still his morbid curiosity got the best of him and he had to know, "Why? Why did you do it?"

She took a deep breath, her heart was racing and she didn't want to answer him but she owed him one, "I didn't…I didn't want you to see. All my scars and how messed up I look, I didn't want you to see that."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "But you didn't have a problem with Kurama, why? Why have you been pushing me away and not the others?"

Kagome didn't want to answer, so she countered, "Why did you do this for me? You went back in time to find Shippo for me, even after I hurt you like I did. Why?"

"I want you to be happy, I love to see you smile. You are my best friend, whether you wanna be or not, and I just wanted to do something for you." Yusuke refused to look at her when he said it, he didn't want to see her reaction.

"You are my best friend too, Yusuke." She moved from her spot on the floor to sit in front of him.

"Then why did you push me away?"

"I was scared. You just kept trying to get so close and I was feeling things that confused me." She said quietly, looking at her hands in her lap.

"Kagome, did you think I wasn't feeling things too? I knew I wasn't being obvious, but I at least thought there were some hints that you'd picked up…" Yusuke was looking at her in disbelief, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Could it be possible they both were in the same boat this whole time?

She shook her head, "No, it's not possible. You've seen my scars and heard my story and I'm am nobody's type. Who could be attracted to this mess of a body?" Her voice shook with bitterness.

"**I** could. I am. Dammit, what did I have to do to make you get that? I tried to respect your space and what I thought you wanted…but being around you was torture. And you have no idea how guilty I felt reacting the way I did to you when I was changing your bandages…you are beautiful." He stood up, frustrated and feeling a little crazed.

"No, no, no. Don't say those nice things to me!" She was shaking her head in denial and her hands were fisted in her shirt.

"Goddammit! Listen to me!" He pulled her out of the chair and kissed her, he felt her stiffen at the contact and then relax into it.

He put all of his pent-up emotion into this kiss, trying so hard to get the message across. She was everything he wanted, this strong person with love to give in spades, he knew that once he had her she would be his forever and he wanted that with every fiber of his being.

Pulling away, he took a deep breath and rested his forehead on hers, "Kagome, you mean so much to me. I want to be more than just your friend, I want to share everything with you and spend all my spare time making you feel as beautiful as I know you are. I love your smiles, your laugh, your temper and determination…tell me I'm not crazy, that you want me as much as I want you."

She let out a laugh, she couldn't hold back the tears, "You're not crazy, but I must be losing my mind if I'm hearing you say these things. This can't be real. Tell me I'm not dreaming."

Yusuke, with a suspicious smile on his face, snuck a pinch of her bottom and she gave a little shout before slapping his arm.

"Yusuke, you jackass!"

He laughed and stole another pinch.


End file.
